People attend a protest against the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) election campaign kick-off event, in Halle (Saale), Germany, Jan 25, 2025. [Photo/Agencies]
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of towns and cities across Germany to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, as it launched its campaign on Saturday for the country's federal election, with billionaire Elon Musk once again expressing support for the party.
The Euractiv news website said protests took place in up to 60 locations across the country on Saturday.
Two of the biggest were in Cologne and Berlin, with an anti-AfD rally in Cologne that had been expected to attract between 5,000 and 10,000 participants drawing as many as 40,000, while up to 100,000 protesters turned out for a rally at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, according to wire services.
Protesters called the Berlin rally a "sea of light against the right turn".
Musk, the owner of social media platform X and a close ally of United States President Donald Trump, has previously provoked anger in other European countries with his comments about their internal politics, and has now renewed his support for the AfD party.
Having already shared an online discussion with AfD leader Alice Weidel and posted a message saying "only the AfD can save Germany", his latest action was making an appearance by video link at the AfD campaign launch on Saturday, where he told party supporters "it's good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything".
The upcoming federal election on Feb 23 came about following the collapse of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government. In the latest opinion polls, the AfD is in second place, behind the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union, with Scholz's Social Democratic Party in third.
Directly addressing the imminent vote, Musk told AfD supporters
"I think it could decide the entire fate of Europe, maybe the fate of the world … that is the significance of this election."
At Trump's recent inauguration in Washington, Musk was widely criticized for making a stiff-arm gesture that some observers said resembled a Nazi salute.
He followed this up by telling attendees at the AfD rally in Halle, a city in eastern Germany, where the party enjoys strong support, that "children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great-grandparents".
Musk then added: "there is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that … I'm very excited for the AfD, I think you're really the best hope for Germany's fight for a great future for Germany." After the rally, Weidel wrote on X "Make America and Germany great again!", echoing Trump's political motto.
When asked what he thought of Musk's behavior at the inauguration, Scholz said: "We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany. Everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire. And what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme-right positions."
