Thousands of counter-protesters gather for AfD rally.
In response to a deadly knife attack on a police officer in Mannheim, the AfD party planned a demonstration against Islamism on the market square. However, the Administrative Court stopped this plan and relocated the rally to a different location. There, the participants faced around 3,300 counter-demonstrators.
Hundreds of individuals took to the streets to protest against Islamism at an AfD rally in Mannheim. This event was organized after a tragic knife attack on the city's market square the previous week. Approximately 700 participants were present, with various speakers condemning "knife violence" as something that should not become the new norm in Germany. They deemed political Islam as "the greatest threat to our security." German flags and signs reading "Remigration now" and "Make the borders tight" were common sights during the event.
The rally began with a one-minute silence for the fallen officer, Rouven L., who sadly passed away due to his injuries from the knife attack that took place on Sunday. Federal President Steinmeier, Minister President of the Greens, Winfried Kretschmann, and State Interior Minister of the CDU, Thomas Strobl, also joined the silent tribute at 11:34 a.m. Rouven L.'s parents and other relatives were also in attendance for the commemoration. An estimated 3,300 counter-demonstrators marched against the AfD supporters, with some people relocating from a demonstration on the Old Market Square to the Paradeplatz. Both sides chanted slogans like "AfD, AfD" from one group and "Nazis out" from the other, with a strong police presence to maintain order between the two groups.
The AfD initially wanted to gather on the market square, but the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg sided with a complaint filed by the city of Mannheim against the Administrative Court of Karlsruhe's decision to allow the AfD rally at the crime scene. As a result, the party had to move their demonstration to the nearby Paradeplatz.
A 25-year-old Afghan was responsible for the fatal knife attack on the market square, targeting five participants of a demonstration by the Islam-critical citizens' movement Pax Europa and the police. The 29-year-old officer succumbed to his injuries.
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The AfD's relocation to the Paradeplatz for their anti-Islamism rally was a result of the Administrative Court's decision following the city of Mannheim's complaint. Despite this, thousands of counter-demonstrators, mostly opposed to AfD's ideologies, gathered to express their views during the demonstrations in Mannheim.
