150,000 Protest AfD Across 20 German Cities

Around 150,000 people protested against the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in about 20 German cities on Saturday. The demonstrations follow AfD's near-44 percent result in the Saxony-Anhalt state election and its bid to form Germany's most right-wing state government since World War II. Organized by the group Pruef, which advocates banning AfD, protests in Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich featured signs reading "Ban AfD now." Chancellor Friedrich Merz has ruled out banning the party, though his approval rating has fallen to 14 percent, with 78 percent saying he is the wrong leader. The AfD's rise has sparked concern given Germany's Nazi past, and 46 percent of Germans now question the "firewall" against cooperating with the party. AfD fell three seats short of a majority in Saxony-Anhalt and is in talks to form a government.