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full screen A demonstration in Hamburg on Sunday against the extreme right in Germany. Photo: Jonas Walzberg/AP/TT
The far-right German party AFD narrowly lost in a local election in the federal state of Thuringia on Sunday. The importance of the election was minor, but the media attention was great as AFD has been exposed to harsh criticism recently.
Last fall, members of AFD participated in a meeting in Potsdam with far-right groups where questions about deporting migrants were discussed. Deportation could also apply to those who have obtained German citizenship.
Following the revelations, large demonstrations have taken place. On Sunday, 60,000 demonstrated in Hamburg, and in previous demonstrations, hundreds of thousands have gathered in Berlin, Bremen, Aachen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Leipzig, among others.
In recent years, AFD has had a strong position in Thuringia, and the election defeat thus gained a wider political meaning. Victorious in the election was the conservative CDU.