Thousands of people have staged protests across Germany after the far-right AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) party won almost 44% of the votes in the eastern state Saxony-Anhalt. With two more elections coming up on September 20, concerns have been raised about how the party’s popularity could impact the country’s democracy and minority rights.

On Sunday, September 6, the AfD won the election by securing 43.8% of votes and 39 seats in Saxony-Anhalt’s parliament. This was the party’s best state result so far, a victory seen as a political earthquake in Germany, as it is the first time a far-right party has been on the brink of taking power since the Nazi era.

Classified as right-wing extremist by the country’s domestic intelligence agency, the AfD has been criticised as posing a threat to democratic norms. The party built its election campaign on anti-immigration sentiments, also expressing opposition to the rights of LGBTQ+ people despite the fact that their chancellor candidate Alice Weidel is married to a Sri Lankan-born woman, raising two children with her in Switzerland.

Following the far-right party’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt, protests have been staged in several cities across Germany, including Berlin, Potsdam, Münster, Göttingen, Dresden, Aachen, Bamberg, Darmstadt, and Halberstadt.

In Berlin, demonstrators gathered at Brandenburg Gate for a peaceful pro-democracy rally, where participants denounced the AfD’s anti-immigration sentiments, which included calling for mass deportations of asylum seekers.

Police reported that around 5,000 people took part in the protest, while organisers estimated closer to 14,000. Participants carried signs that read “Fascism is no alternative”, “Stop the Nazi AfD: end racism and cuts to social services” and “History has its eyes on us”.

Member of the far-left Linke party Max Schneller stated that activists would do anything in their power to prevent the AfD from targeting minorities. “We will not start categorising our neighbours according to their origin, religion or skin colour – we are too humane to hate,” he said.

Two more regional elections are set to take place on September 20 in Berlin and the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. According to polls, the AfD is leading in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with about 35%. However, the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) has risen in the polls over the summer, now scoring above 30%.

In Berlin, the AfD is not as popular, with the Christian Democrats (CDU) holding an extremely thin lead with about 20%.