(JTA) — Tens of thousands of people marched in Berlin to protest racism and the rise of far-right populism across Germany.
The march on Saturday came a day ahead of a federal election.
Organizers said at least 150,000 people and up to 240,000 showed up for the march through the city center to the Brandenburg gate. Police did not release an estimate.
The marchers chanted anti-Nazi slogans and carried signs reading “More love, less hate,” “Build bridges not walls,” “United against racism,” and “No room for Nazis.”
The march was partly in response to the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, according to reports. It was organized by a broad coalition of associations, labor unions, parties and rights groups
In August, anti-foreigner riots in the former East German city of Chemnitz came amid anti-migrant demonstrations after two men of Arab background were arrested for the Aug. 26 murder of a German man in the city, in the state of Saxony. A Jewish restaurant owner was injured and his restaurant vandalized during the riots.
Meanwhile, a group of German Jews has formed a new group that purports to represent Jews in the AfD party.
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