- Thousands protest against the right-wing extremists Sellner
Thousands of people took to the streets in Marburg to protest against a planned reading by far-right extremist Martin Sellner. Around 2500 people attended an evening rally, organized by the city of Marburg and the network for democracy and against right extremism, according to police. A city spokesperson spoke of more than 3000 people. Earlier, around 1000 people joined a march from the market square to the upper town, with a third planned demo being cancelled at short notice.
Earlier, the city had stated that Sellner planned to read from his book "Remigration" on Monday evening at an unknown location. The event was to be held in private rooms, with the time also unknown to the city. The police stated that opponents of the reading had blocked access to a square and set off smoke bombs.
Marburg's mayor, Thomas Spies (SPD), had previously stated: "We strongly condemn Martin Sellner's attempt to promote theories of expelling a part of our residents in Marburg." The city views Sellner's "xenophobic theories" as a threat to the common good and to democracy and the constitution.
Sellner was the head of the far-right Identitarian Movement in Austria. In November 2023, he spoke about "Remigration" at a meeting in a villa in Potsdam. The media house "Correctiv" made the meeting public. When right extremists use this term, they usually mean that a large number of people of foreign origin should leave the country - even by force.
The Commission had expressed concern over the city's decision to allow Martin Sellner's reading, given his far-right extremist views. After the protests, The Commission commended the city for showing resilience in upholding democracy despite the opposing views.
