Tens of thousands rally across Germany against far-right AfD after state win

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in German cities on Saturday against the far-right AfD, which won Saxony-Anhalt's state election last week.

• According to organizers, roughly 150,000 people joined protests in some 20 cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, called by the "Prove" movement demanding the party's ban.
• Christoph Bautz of organizing group Campact said civil society is taking to the streets to prevent "enemies of the constitution," the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, from reaching power.
• The AfD staged a counter-rally in Berlin attended by Christine Brenker, its lead candidate for regional elections there next week.
• The AfD, which took about 44 percent of Saxony-Anhalt's vote, missed an absolute majority by three seats and has begun talks to form Germany's first far-right regional government since World War II.
• Germany will hold two additional state elections on September 20, following last week's Saxony-Anhalt vote.
• The AfD is projected to hold 39 of 83 seats in Saxony-Anhalt's state parliament, based on the election results.
• Mainstream parties have refused to govern with the AfD after its state win, citing a policy known as the 'firewall.'