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Thousands Rally Against Right-Wing Extremism in Hamburg
Hamburg, October 10 – Thousands of people demonstrated against right-wing extremism in Hamburg’s city center on Saturday. According to police estimates, 3,500 individuals participated, while organizers reported a turnout of 5,000. This marked the eleventh time the PRÜF alliance has called for such a demonstration.
The Route and Demands
The protest route led through the city center, passing the Hamburg AfD party headquarters, then around the Binnenalster, and back to Jungfernstieg, where demonstrators had initially gathered at noon. The event featured speeches and musical performances on a stage, with many participants carrying self-made signs and flags.
Similar PRÜF rallies also took place in other German cities, including Dresden, Potsdam, Munich, and Düsseldorf. The PRÜF alliance advocates for the Federal Constitutional Court to review parties that are under observation by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, either as suspected cases or as confirmed right-wing extremist organizations. The alliance regularly takes to the streets to press for this demand. In September, a previous demonstration attracted 25,000 people.
Canceled School Excursion Causes Controversy
Earlier, a planned school excursion to the PRÜF demonstration had caused some controversy. The 10th-grade class of the Goethe-Gymnasium in Lurup was scheduled to observe the demonstration as part of their “Democracy Learning” curriculum. However, the excursion was later canceled due to organizational reasons, according to the parents’ council of the Goethe-Gymnasium. Parents were only informed about the planned excursion on Wednesday via an information letter, which was deemed too short notice by some families. Nevertheless, the parents’ council generally supports such excursions as part of democracy education.
The school authorities confirmed to NDR that the school had canceled the excursion. Peter Albrecht, a spokesperson for the authorities, stated that observing a demonstration is generally possible but involves high hurdles. Sven Quiring from the Education and Science Union Hamburg (GEW) also supported the idea of students visiting political rallies as part of school excursions to engage with democratic forms of expression.
AfD Criticizes Excursion
Dirk Nockemann, head of the AfD parliamentary group, had previously criticized the planned excursion. “With this compulsory visit, the state Goethe-Gymnasium is abandoning the ground of party-political neutrality,” Nockemann said. He demanded that the school authorities ensure students are not compelled to participate in such excursions.
Background: Previous Protests and Political Reactions
The recent demonstration follows a previous large-scale protest in September, where 25,000 people in Hamburg demonstrated against right-wing extremism. This surge in public action comes after the AfD’s victory in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, which prompted thousands in Hamburg to send a clear signal against the far-right.
In a related development, the SPD, Green, and Left party factions in Hamburg are seeking to examine the conditions for initiating a ban procedure against the AfD. They are calling for a federal-state working group to address this issue.
The widespread participation in these demonstrations underscores a growing public concern about right-wing extremism and a desire for stronger political action against it.
