Despite sub-zero temperatures, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Germany to protest against the far right. More protests are expected in major German cities, including Berlin, Munich and Cologne, on January 21.

A crowd of up to 35,000 people gathered in Frankfurt with slogans such as “Never Again,” “Against Hate” and “Defend Democracy,” German newspaper Der Spiegel reported. Police said protests in Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Hannover, among other cities, also attracted tens of thousands of people.

The wave of protests across Germany came after a group of investigative journalists published information that right-wing extremists secretly met in November to discuss the deportation of millions of immigrants, some of whom have German citizenship.

According to CNN, the gathering of members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists took place at a lakeside hotel outside the city of Potsdam on November 25. The incident went unnoticed until January 10, when the investigative journalism network Correctiv revealed it, sparking a wave of protests across Germany.

KHANH HUNG