Several hundred people demonstrating against Islamism on Friday at a rally organized by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Mannheim were confronted by several thousand counter-demonstrators calling on the Nazis to leave the country.
The demonstrations followed a fatal attack on a police officer by an Afghan immigrant on May 31.
Police said there were about 700 attendees at the AfD rally, who were met by about 3,300 counter-protesters opposed to the AfD rally. Chants of “AfD, AfD” on one side and “Nazis out” on the other could be heard. A large police contingent separated the demonstrators.
Several speakers at the AfD meeting called for ‘knife violence’ ‘not to become the norm’ in Germany. Political Islam is “the greatest threat” to German security, others said.
In addition to German flags, banners with inscriptions such as “Remigration now” and “Close the borders” were also seen during the rally.
The demonstration started with a minute’s silence for police officer Rouven Laur, who died on Sunday from injuries sustained in the knife attack.
The AfD originally wanted to demonstrate on the market square, but the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg (VGH) upheld an appeal by the city of Mannheim against a decision of the Administrative Court of Karlsruhe. That lower court had given the green light for an AfD meeting at the crime scene. As a result, the company had to move to another location.
On May 31, a 25-year-old Afghan wounded five participants during a rally organized by the Pax Europa movement, which is critical of Islam. Laur, the 29-year-old police officer, was seriously injured and later died from his injuries.
