Protesters clashed with police and counter-demonstrators in Munich during a rally against the German federal government, as participants demanded new elections and protested over living costs, housing, migration, jobs and Germany’s foreign and security policies.
Footage filmed on Saturday shows police clashing with demonstrators and making arrests as smoke rises from the crowd, while protesters carried banners reading “Merz must go!” and “Resign!!”
Several hundred Antifa activists blocked the route, with clashes involving smoke devices and CS gas.
“We want to make people a little more aware, because apparently they still haven’t realised that, politically speaking, quite a few things are getting out of hand here,” Ralph said, laying the blame for Germany’s governance crisis with Chancellor Merz.
“There are a lot of lies being told. Some people have called Merz the ‘lying chancellor’, and that fits the picture perfectly. Anyone who describes Merz as the most popular chancellor must be out of their mind,” Ralph said.
“I mean, sooner or later Mr Merz will be gone as well. If he had any backbone, he would have been gone a long time ago,” he added.
Another protester said his participation was driven by concerns over pensions and accused the government of undermining his financial security.
“I’m here because I’m a pensioner and this government is stealing my pension from me, or rather, it has taken away my wife’s survivor’s pension. And this in Germany, in such a wonderful Germany, the best Germany we’ve ever had. Screw that,” he said.
Foreign policy was another focus of the demonstration, with one participant calling for an end to the war in Ukraine and for Germany to rebuild relations with Russia.
“What is important to me? Peace. Peace. The war in Ukraine must be brought to an end. I have nothing to do with Antifa. Peace with Russia is very important to me. We need to restore our old relations,” the protester said.
Another demonstrator pointed to working conditions and inflation among the reasons for opposing the chancellor and his government.
“He has to go. Yes, things at work are getting worse and worse. And there are always new things he is planning, like making people work longer. Then inflation is really going up. And every week there is nonsense being said in the Bundestag,” the protester said.
This comes after Merz’s CDU alliance suffered a chastening defeat to anti-immigration and pro-business party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in state elections, while the AfD has also taken a lead in national polls.
The AfD’s 2025 federal election programme sets out a sharply different course, calling for the EU to be transformed into a new, looser association of sovereign states, a neutral Ukraine outside NATO and the EU, and restored trade relations with Russia.
The Merz government, by contrast, says Germany will continue supporting Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia. As of August, Berlin said it had provided more than €43.3 billion in bilateral civilian support and provided or earmarked around €57.6 billion in military aid since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Germany also backed the EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, adopted in July.
Source: Viory
