Protesters in Dusseldorf persistently rally against gatherings organized by the AfD party
In Düsseldorf, on Monday (26.5.), over 200 citizens gathered to voice their opposition to AfD events, under the motto "United in Solidarity against Right-Wing Hate."
The protest was prompted by an AfD panel discussion scheduled to take place in the Bachsaal. The event, which included Claus Henning Gahr, Joachim Paul, and Anna Nguyen, discussed the classification of the party as right-wing extremist and freedom of speech.
As the protesters made their presence known, two activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) were evaluated by the police for a banner reading "Secured! Right-wing extremist." This action, while not uncommon in such circumstances, could potentially lead to a criminal complaint.
Claus Henning Gahr, an AfD member, walked past the counter-protest with a haughty wave and a smile for photographers. Meanwhile, Maximilian Lykissas, spokesman of the alliance Düsseldorf stands itself queer (DSSQ), condemned the racist remigration concepts of the AfD and addressed their close contacts to the organized and violence-prone right-wing scene.
Lykissas also highlighted examples of the party's controversial stance, such as the descriptions of climate activist women as "mostly mentally ill left-wing women" by AfD councilwoman Andrea Kraljic, and her claim that climate change is a generations-long hoax staged by the media.
It's worth noting that, while no direct search results were found regarding the current stance of Extinction Rebellion or Düsseldorf stands itself queer (DSSQ) on freedom of speech related to AfD events in Düsseldorf, both groups generally oppose the AfD’s extremist ideologies and often support counter-protests to prevent the spread of racist or xenophobic ideas.
The music played by Düsseldorf stands itself queer (DSSQ) during their demo may face consequences due to officers demanding a GEMA-registered playlist. However, in the past, such procedures have not led to success for the police.
The counter-protest was significantly larger than the number of people attending the AfD event in the Bachsaal. While the event attracted members of the former brotherhood Germany, incumbent officials, and sympathizers of the AfD, they were predominantly men.
Maximilian Lykissas ended his speech with the words: "We must counter this and make it very clear: we won't give up. We will always stand in the way when fascists try to spread hate and agitation!" The message was clear: the AfD is not welcome in Düsseldorf.
- The discussion about classifying the AfD as right-wing extremist and freedom of speech, which was the topic of an AfD panel discussion, has become a general news topic and is also linked to war-and-conflicts and crime-and-justice due to the controversial stances of the party and the counter-protests against their events.
- In the world of politics, both Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Düsseldorf stands itself queer (DSSQ) have made their opposition to the AfD clear, often participating in counter-protests, but their specific stance on freedom of speech related to AfD events in Düsseldorf remains unclear.
