Why Germans are protesting against a political party and comparing it to Nazis

Thousands of people across Germany have taken to the streets against a political party.Some have even compared the party to the Nazis.But what happened? What do we know about the party? And why are Germans protesting?Let’s take a closer look:What happened?Protests have broken out against the Alternative for Germany party (AfD).As per The Guardian, demonstrations have been held in Leipzig, Rostock, Essen and Berlin.This, after a report that two senior party members joined a meeting to discuss plans to mass deport German citizens of foreign origin.

The proposals for "unassimilated citizens" to be deported to "a model state in north Africa" was reported by outlet Correctiv.

As per Sky News, the proposal was put forth by Martin Sellner – the Austrian leader of the far-right Identitarian movement.Among those present at the meeting was Roland Hartwig – a personal assistant to AfD leader Alice Weidel.Weidel has since distanced herself from Hartwig, as per The Guardian.Weidel has claimed she had no idea about Hartig, a former manager of the chemicals firm Bayer and former AfD MP, attending the meet.She also said the party does not back the plan.However, party insiders insist Hartwig will continue to play an important role in the AfD behind the scenes.The AfD, which is polling second in nationwide surveys, has denied the plans are party policy.[caption id="attachment_13626442" align="alignnone" width="640"] People hold signs that read 'Bjorn Hocke is a Nazi' and 'No sex with Nazis!'. Reuters[/caption]Sky News quoted the party as saying that its members attended the meet in a ‘purely personal capacity.’However, some AfD MPs have come out in favour of the plan.René Springer, a representative for the state of Brandenburg in the federal government, vowed on X,  “We will send foreigners back to their homelands. Millions of them. That is not a #secret plan. That is a promise,”Why are people comparing the AfD to the Nazis?While the party has long railed against immigrants, the report by Correctiv has shocked many and spurred them into action.This was the latest in a wave of protests around the country that have attracted tens of thousands since the story broke last week.Some have been attended by high-ranking officials like Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.Some including the media have even compared the meeting to the Nazis' initial plan to deport European Jews to Madagascar."The line has long since been crossed," protester Stephan Kalsh said at a demonstration in Cologne on Tuesday evening, where many protesters called for the party to be banned.This was the latest in a wave of protests around the country that have attracted tens of thousands since the story broke last week.

"These plans are reminiscent of the darkest chapter of German history," Potsdam Mayor Mike Schubert was quoted as saying by Sky News.

As per The Guardian,­ ex-German parliament chief Wolfgang Thierse has come out in favour of looking into whether the AfD should be banned.Thierse has also expressed support for a petition calling for the rights of prominent AfD members including Thuringia AfD’s group leader, Björn Höcke to be revoked.“Learning from history is not just lip service,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X. “Democrats must stand together.”Politicians this week discussed the possibility of calling on the constitutional court to ban the AfD although most concurred it risked backfiring.“If we ban a party that we don’t like, but which is still leading in the polls, it will lead to even greater solidarity with it,” Carsten Schneider, a social democrat who serves as federal commissioner for eastern Germany, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “And even from people who are not AfD sympathizers or voters, the collateral damage would be very high.”As per Politico, the German Constitution allows banning parties which “seek to undermine or abolish the free democratic basic order.”However, the hurdles to a ban remain high and the party could stand to win from portraying itself as a victim of the establishment.[caption id="attachment_13264582" align="alignnone" width="640"] German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Reuters[/caption]Germany’s Constitutional Court has only barred parties twice in history – the Socialist Reich Party in 1992 and the Communist Party of Germany in 1956.Centre-right parties are also against the ban.“Such sham debates are grist to the AfD’s mill,” Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, told the Münchner Merkur newspaper.The AfD itself remains defiant.“Calls for the AfD to be banned are completely absurd and expose the anti-democratic attitude of those making these demands,” Weidel told Politico. “The repeated calls for a ban show that the other parties have long since run out of substantive arguments against our political proposals.”The judiciary has also condemned the meet.“What was conjured up in a small circle in Potsdam in November is more than just a horrifying vision. More specifically it is an attack on the constitution and the liberal constitutional state,” the German Association of Judges, the German Lawyers’ Association and four affiliating organisations was quoted as saying by The Guardian.Germany's domestic spy chief Thomas Haldenwang has warned of extremist movements within the AfD, which is under security surveillance.The reports of the plans have drawn widespread condemnation from political and security leaders.

Scholz has urged democrats to stand against far-right "fanatics" while Haldenwang called for the "silent majority" to wake up.

"I am grateful that tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets across Germany these days against racism, hate speech and in favour of our liberal democracy," Scholz said on social media platform X on Wednesday."We democrats are many - many more than those who want to divide," he added.[caption id="attachment_13626452" align="alignnone" width="640"] A person holds a sign that reads 'Nazis out' as people protest against the Alternative for Germany party (AfD). Reuters[/caption]Images of thousands of citizens braving sub-zero temperatures and snow to protest against the AfD in cities nationwide suggest they may just be."Nazis, no thank you", "It feels like 1933, AfD ban now!" and "Investigate banning AfD" read banners at a protest in Berlin last Friday.Other protests have been scheduled for later on Wednesday in Berlin and on Friday in Hamburg.Weidel on Tuesday attacked what she called the use of the Correctiv report to misrepresent the AfD.She said the party aimed to exhaust all legal means to prevent illegal migration, restrict nationalisations and deport migrants suspected of terrorism."Whoever has German citizenship belongs without question and without doubt to the German nation," Weidel told a news conference. "And that´s precisely why the German citizenship may not be sold off cheap and distributed with a watering can."The party has shifted more into focus this year ahead of the European Parliamentary elections and three state elections in eastern Germany in September where it is polling in first place.This is expected to make it much harder for mainstream parties, which have ruled out working with the AfD, to form workable governments.Support for the 11-year-old AfD has soared over the past year as it has capitalised on discontent with the ruling coalition's handling of a multitude of crises, from the Ukraine war and inflation to public services overwhelmed by immigration.As per Politico, the AfD is currently polling in second place in national polls with 23 per cent support.The Guardian quoted Thierse as telling broadcaster DLF that German democracy is in a ‘critical state.’“Some of this reminds us of events 90 years ago. In 1930, the Nazi party stood at 14 or 15 per cent, and three years later it was in power and had done away with democracy.”Public infighting has made Scholz's government one of the least popular in modern German history.There is no evidence yet of the Correctiv report damaging support for the AfD, which remained steady in polls released this week.Political analysts say the strength of the AfD has already influenced the political debate, contributing to tougher policy and rhetoric on irregular migration.The party itself insists it is neither extremist nor racist, as per Sky News.With inputs from agencies