Hard-right rally in Berlin draws scorn of counterprotests
BERLIN — Supporters of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party marched through central Berlin to protest Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government Sunday and were kept away from a raft of counterdemonstrations by a heavy police presence.
Police said more than 5,000 people turned out for the demonstration organized by the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, known by its German acronym AfD. A variety of counterprotests against the far right attracted more than 25,000 people, they said.
The AfD event opened with German flags, placards such as “No Islam in Germany” and chants of “Merkel must go” outside Berlin’s central train station.