Thousands protest the rise of German far right ahead of Feb. 23 general election

Thousands of Germans have protested in Berlin and other cities against the rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party ahead of a Feb. 23 general election. At Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, participants lighted up their phones, blew whistles and sang anti-fascist songs, and in Cologne, protesters carried banners denouncing AfD. An opposition bloc of Germany’s center-right parties, the Union, led by Friedrich Merz, is leading pre-election polls with AfD in second place. The protests took place Saturday place while AfD was opening its election campaign in Halle.