Agency Report –
Karlsruhe, Germany – Some 3,500 people protested on Saturday in the western city of Karlsruhe against a far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) election campaign that sent “deportation tickets” for “illegal immigrants” to mailboxes around the city.
According to police, the demonstration proceeded peacefully.
The AfD election flyers, which sparked outrage across the country earlier this week, were designed to look like airline tickets, with the departure date listed as February 23, the same day as Germany’s upcoming general election.
The itinerary is listed as “From: Germany – To: Safe country of origin.”
Migrants led the protest under the slogan “With us instead of against us.” Banners displayed messages such as “Voting AfD is so 1933” and “No cuddling with Nazis!”
The Baden-Württemberg branch of the AfD stated that the campaign was organized by its Karlsruhe district branch.
Left-wing groups have claimed the flyers were distributed to individuals with migration backgrounds.
Police in the south-western city have launched an investigation into the campaign stunt on suspicion of incitement to hatred.
The AfD was founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party and first entered parliament in 2017. Its tone became increasingly more extreme as it shifted its focus to immigration and Islam.
The party is being monitored by domestic intelligence services as a suspected right-wing extremist organization.
For months, the AfD has been in second place in voter polls ahead of the February election.
