Berlin right-wing party rally sparks massive counter protest

More than a dozen groups are planning weekend protests against a rally by the right-wing nationalist party Alternative for Germany being staged under the motto “Germany’s Future,” police say.

Officials from the party, known by its German abbreviation AfD, have told authorities they expect up to 10,000 people for the Sunday afternoon rally with speeches from some of its top leaders.

It is due to start at the capital’s main train station and end at the landmark Brandenburg Gate but organizers are keeping the exact route — including whether their march will pass by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chancellery or parliamentary offices — under wraps for security reasons.

So far, 13 counter-demonstrations are planned in nearby areas and around the city under slogans like “never again” and “stop the hate, stop the AfD.”

A group of techno clubs plans to blast loud music along the AfD route, promising “our party will crash their march.”

“The Berlin club culture is everything that Nazis are not,” the organizers said in a Facebook call for action. “People from all backgrounds unite on our dancefloors.”

Right-wing demonstrations in Germany are often dwarfed by counter-demonstrations and can sometimes turn violent. For security reasons police are not announcing in advance how many officers they will have on hand to keep the two sides separate, but say there will be a significant presence.

— AP