Berlin is bracing for a significant demonstration on Sunday, with tens of thousands of protesters expected to gather in the German capital to voice their opposition to the conservative Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) increasing collaboration with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The protest is set to begin at 3:30 pm (14:30 GMT) outside the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament building, before participants march towards the CDU party headquarters. The rally follows a wave of protests across Germany, with over 220,000 people already marching in cities like Hamburg, Leipzig, Cologne, and Stuttgart on Saturday, according to ARD.
Protests were ignited after CDU leader Friedrich Merz, ahead of the February 23 federal election, sought the parliamentary support of the AfD for a bill targeting undocumented foreigners, including asylum seekers. This move is seen as a break from a post-WWII unwritten rule that prevented national parties from working with far-right groups.

On Wednesday, the CDU and AfD passed a non-binding resolution aimed at blocking undocumented migrants at the border, further intensifying concerns. However, a separate immigration bill, which sought to impose more restrictive measures, failed on Friday.
Merz’s immigration crackdown followed the recent arrest of an Afghan man involved in a deadly knife attack on kindergarten children, prompting calls for tougher border control. However, critics, including the left-wing NGO Campact, argue that Merz is willing to “cut through” long-standing political norms to partner with what they label “right-wing extremists.”
The protest is expected to draw support from a wide range of groups, including trade unions, civil society organisations, human rights activists, churches, and environmental groups. Germany’s centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also expressed concerns over the potential for a CDU-AfD coalition, warning that this could follow a trend seen in other countries.