Tens of thousands of Germans have rallied against the far-right ahead of next month’s legislative elections, as US tech billionaire Elon Musk again endorsed the anti-immigrant AfD party.
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Musk, speaking by video link, told thousands of AfD supporters gathered in the eastern city of Halle that their party was “the best hope for the future of Germany”.
AfD supporters at the rally shouted their approval as party co-leader Alice Weidel looked on smiling.
Meanwhile, protesters against the AfD turned out in cities across Germany.
The largest gatherings took place in Berlin and Cologne on Saturday with police revising their turnout figures upwards to 35,000 and 40,000, respectively. Organisers in Berlin claimed that 100,000 people attended the protests in the capital.
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The protesters there used their mobile phones to form “a sea of light for democracy” in front of the Brandenburg Gate, brandishing letters forming the word “Resistance”.