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"Wir sind die Brandmauer" – 15,000 Protest in Leipzig Against Merz’s AfD Collaboration

Leipzig, 01 February 2025 – "Wir sind die Brandmauer" – We are the firewall.

Around 15,000 people marched in Leipzig today, protesting CDU chancellor hopeful Friedrich Merz’s decision to accept support from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) on an anti-immigration proposal. Demonstrators accuse Merz of breaking his December commitment not to work with the AfD, a party widely criticized for its nationalist and Eurosceptic positions.

For years, Germany’s mainstream parties upheld an unspoken agreement—a Brandmauer—never to work with the AfD, given the country’s history with extremism.

But Merz broke that promise, taking a U-turn on his December commitment. By accepting AfD support to push a stricter anti-immigration proposal, he is not just legitimizing the far right but actively co-opting its xenophobic rhetoric. His move aligns with the AfD’s Eurosceptic stance, undermining the EU’s Schengen free movement principles.

Merz, however, defended his move, stating: "If a good idea is supported by bad people, the idea does not become bad."

But how “good” are these ideas? The proposal he backed includes setting up asylum camps outside Germany, restricting family reunification, and even revoking certain citizenship rights—policies that echo key elements of the AfD’s anti-immigration platform.

As elections approach on February 23, critics suggest Merz seems desperate and is courting far-right voters. A now-deleted post from his CDU colleague hinted at this shift, stating: "You don’t have to vote for AfD to get what you want."

Protesters today made their position clear: If politicians won’t uphold the firewall, civil society will.

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