Thousands take to the streets in German state against 'agreements' with far right

The demonstrators gathered at noon in the city centre, under the motto 'No to pacts with fascists'

Erfurt, Germany -Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Erfurt, the capital of the German state of Thuringia, where the election of the region's representative thanks to the far right caused a political earthquake in Germany.

The demonstrators gathered at noon in the city center, under the motto "No to the pacts with the fascists: Never and nowhere!". Between posters and flags, one could read some who said "We don't want power at any price."

The demonstration in the city, located on the territory of the former and communist German Democratic Republic (GDR), was organized by NGOs, artists, trade unionists and political authorities, gathered in the alliance #Unteilbar (indivisible) and supported by movements such as Fridays for Future and Bund.

"I manifest myself because the influence of afd (far-right force Alternative for Germany) becomes very uncomfortable in the eastern regions," explains Erfurt resident Maria Reuter, 74. "I'm still optimistic, but limits have been exceeded."

The surprising election of liberal Thomas Kemmerich on the last day 5, thanks to votes from the conservative right and the far right, generated demonstrations across the country.

- 'End of a taboo' -

Faced with the protests, the candidate, of the small Liberal FDP party, threw in the towel 24 hours after his election by a narrow margin. But for the organizers of the demonstration, the damage was already done. "This election marks the end of a taboo," Maximilian Becker, a spokesman for the alliance, told German media. "We want to show that what happens in Thuringia will not go unanswered."

As a sample of the climate of tension in Germany, FDP headquarters have been the target of attacks across the country for days, according to Spiegel magazine. Afd, a far-right party created in 2013, intends to continue dynamite the German political game, In Thuringia, institutions have been paralyzed for more than a week.

The far right, accused by Chancellor Angela Merkel of wanting to destroy democracy, now threatens to transfer its votes in the event of a new election in the region, Bodo Ramelow, a radical left personality who was at the helm of Thuringia until 2019 and rejects any contribution of votes from the other end of the political board.

The parties, with the exception of the AfD, are expected to meet next Monday in Erfurt to seek a way out of the crisis. Several options are on the table to govern the region, the core of uncertainties surrounding the German electoral scene. The crisis spreads in a Germany that will live until 2021 the end of the Angela Merkel era, chancellor in power for 14 years.

Some members of the conservative CDU party, especially in the regions of ancient East Germany, are inclined to ally with the far right, particularly powerful in these regions of the country.

The rhetoric of the AfD resonates in the poorest old RDA. In Thuringia, the average annual salary was 35,701 euros in 2018, against the average of 42,962 in Germany, according to the statistics department.

Although unemployment in this part of the country is only slightly higher than the federal index (5.3%, against 5%), Thuringia notes a severe birth deficit, young people are leaving, and more than one in four inhabitants (25.7%) is over 65 years old, against one in five in Germany.