02:26Germany: Several thousand AfD supporters march to kick Merkel out
Several thousand supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) marched through the centre of Berlin, on Saturday, against German Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policy. Along the march AfD supporter were confronted by anti-fascist protesters resulting in several arrests.
Frauke Petry, speaker of AfD, denounced the German state, saying, "the asylum policy of the German government and the asylum policy of the whole European Union reveal the failing of the constitutional state on all levels."
Petry, a chemist by trade, continued telling her supporters "we know that this phenomena of mass migration is entirely promoted and that our society and economy cannot take profit from it."
Several arrests were made during the rally and subsequent counter demonstration, with police reportedly using pepper-spray in an attempt to disperse and incapacitate activists. The largely peaceful pro-refugee march was called by a wide range of organisations including the SPD, CDU, Greens and Die Linke, under the motto "For a cosmopolitan Berlin - against the rally of AFD."
Official figures suggest that 800,000 refugees and migrants will seek asylum in Germany in 2015, with German right wing parties and groups marching frequently in opposition to recently introduced refugee policies in the EU.
02:26Several thousand supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) marched through the centre of Berlin, on Saturday, against German Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policy. Along the march AfD supporter were confronted by anti-fascist protesters resulting in several arrests.
Frauke Petry, speaker of AfD, denounced the German state, saying, "the asylum policy of the German government and the asylum policy of the whole European Union reveal the failing of the constitutional state on all levels."
Petry, a chemist by trade, continued telling her supporters "we know that this phenomena of mass migration is entirely promoted and that our society and economy cannot take profit from it."
Several arrests were made during the rally and subsequent counter demonstration, with police reportedly using pepper-spray in an attempt to disperse and incapacitate activists. The largely peaceful pro-refugee march was called by a wide range of organisations including the SPD, CDU, Greens and Die Linke, under the motto "For a cosmopolitan Berlin - against the rally of AFD."
Official figures suggest that 800,000 refugees and migrants will seek asylum in Germany in 2015, with German right wing parties and groups marching frequently in opposition to recently introduced refugee policies in the EU.