Nearly 3,500 people took part in a demonstration in the city of Karlsruhe against the election campaign of the "Alternative for Germany" party. (AfD). The protest was directed against AfD election leaflets that resemble plane tickets for illegal migrants to their country of origin, the DPA agency wrote, citing local police.
According to law enforcement officials, the demonstration was peaceful. Organizers spoke of about 5,000 participants. The migrants protested under the slogan "With us, not against us".
Earlier it became known that the police in Germany are investigating the election leaflets of the "Alternative for Germany" party on suspicion of inciting hatred. The reason is information that a so-called deportation ticket has been posted on social media. The AfD election leaflets, which resemble plane tickets, are intended for "illegal immigrants", notes DPA. The departure date is the day of the federal elections in Germany - February 23. The departure point is Germany, the arrival point is a safe country of origin. A representative of the state association "Alternatives for Germany" reported that this is an election campaign for the Karlsruhe regional association.
The German government called the AfD election campaign with "deportation tickets" tasteless. The official representative of the German cabinet, Steffen Hebestreit, noted that the government refrains from making assessments during the current election campaign. Everything else, he said, will have to be taken care of by security agencies or law enforcement agencies.
In Germany, the AfD is called a right-wing populist party. Other political forces consider it impossible to cooperate with it within the framework of any coalition - neither at the federal nor at the regional level. At the same time, according to the latest opinion polls, the AfD's rating is at the level of 18-20%. Early parliamentary elections in Germany are scheduled for February 23.