AfD victory draws thousands to Berlin protest

Several thousand protesters gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Monday to oppose the far-right Alternative for Germany after the party's breakthrough victory in a regional election. Berlin police estimated about 5,000 participants at 7:00 pm, an hour after the rally began. Co-organiser Campact reported 14,000 demonstrators. The AfD won nearly 44 percent of the vote on Sunday in Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern German state of about 2.1 million residents, dealing a major defeat to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right CDU. The result has put a far-right party close to leading a German state government for the first time since the Nazi era. Protester Marie-Therese Hattendorf told AFP that the turnout was not a sign that people were rising up and ready to act. 'I see that democracy in our country is currently under serious threat,' she said. Another protester, who gave her name only as Alice, said the result had left her feeling 'depressed'. She said she wanted 'an open society where everyone feels welcome and understood'. A 68-year-old protester named Ellen said: 'We're afraid our democracy is falling apart.' Her husband, Michael, called the election 'deeply unsettling'. Merz said Monday he was 'deeply shocked' by the vote but vowed to press ahead with reforms. Two more regional elections, in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, are scheduled for September 20. The size of Monday's Berlin protest is disputed, with different estimates from police and the co-organiser. The supplied material does not establish whether the AfD will be able to lead a state government in Saxony-Anhalt. AFP news report published on Sep 7, 2026, 7:01 PM UTC .