Germany: Protests against AfD events in Dortmund, Düsseldorf

DW News · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Around 3,300 people gathered in the western German city of Dortmund on Sunday to protest against a visit by a fascist politician from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party — and an even bigger protest is expected in Düsseldorf on Monday. Björn Höcke, a senior AfD figure who leads the far-right party in the eastern German state of Thuringia, attended a party event at Dortmund town hall on Sunday. A German court ruled in 2019 that the 53-year-old, who has twice been convicted of using illegal Nazi rhetoric, may legally be described a "fascist." Dortmund Mayor Alexander Kalouti of the conservative CDU had attempted to have Höcke banned from speaking, but a court in nearby Gelsenkirchen dismissed the appeal.Dortmund mayor: 'Don't want this man in my town hall' "For me, it was clear that I didn't want this man in my town hall," Kalouti told the local Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper before joining protesters outside. "So it was also clear that I would be here." The protest was over five times the size local police had expected. The AfD is the joint-third largest party on the Dortmund city council with 18 seats — equal with the Greens but behind the CDU (23 seats and the mayoralty) and the Social Democrats (SPD) who have 26 seats.Dortmund Mayor Alexander Kalouti joined the anti-AfD protest Image: Bernd Thissen/dpa/picture alliance Over the weekend, Höcke had also visited the Externsteine ​​rock formation in the nearby Teutoburg Forest, along with several other AfD politicians from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). According to police, a visit to the Hermannsdenkmal (Hermann Monument) had originally been planned but was thwarted by the presence of around 350 protesters who had gathered there at short notice. The Hermannsdenkmal, which commemorates a victory by local Germanic chieftain Arminius over the Romans in the year 9, acquired propagandistic significance during the Nazi era and continues to be considered a cult site for right-wing extremists.Young, far-right and radical? Meet the AfD's future leadersTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Anti-AfD protest set for Monday in Düsseldorf An even bigger protest is expected on Monday in the nearby city of Düsseldorf, the capital of NRW, where Höcke is due to speak in the district of Garath, where the AfD won 32% of the vote in local elections last autumn. Over 5,000 people are expected to attend a protest under the mottos "No room for fascists in Düsseldorf" and "Garath is colorful, not brown" — brown being associated with the extreme-right in Germany due to the color of the uniforms worn by the paramilitary thugs from the Nazi Sturmabteilung (SA) in the 1930s. Various civic groups are expected to be represented, including trade unions, charity groups, tenants' associations and the Ultras Düsseldorf — the hardcore supporters of local football team Fortuna Düsseldorf. After two local AfD politicians attended a recent Fortuna match and posted photos of themselves on social media, the ultras displayed a banner during their team's last home game reading: "Whether city or stadium — Höcke and colleagues, f*** off!" "We want to send a clear message that enemies of democracies like Höcke have no place in Düsseldorf," local trade union chief Sigrid Wolf said. The AfD is the fourth-biggest party on Düsseldorf's city council with 10 of the 92 seats. Edited by: Sean Sinico