Germany: Thousands rally against far-right AfD party in Germany ahead of Saxony-Anhalt state elections.

SHOTLIST: MAGDEBURG, GERMANY (SEP. 5, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES MAGDEBURG, GERMANY - SEP. 5: Several thousand people gathered in the eastern city of Magdeburg on Saturday to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as it is set to win Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, media reports said. Many protesters carried signs calling for a ban on the AfD, according to the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “The AfD brings us inhumanity and violence,” one poster said. The demonstration in Magdeburg was aimed at promoting tolerance, diversity and openness to the world. It aimed to send a message in support of democracy and human dignity, according to organizers of the rally. “All of Europe is watching us,” said one of the organizers to cheers from the crowd. Voters in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt will elect a new parliament on Sunday, with the far-right Alternative for Germany well ahead of every other party and Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) sliding toward one of their weakest results in a region they have governed for decades. Polls put the AfD above 40%, which would be the party’s strongest showing in any state election. If several smaller parties fall short of the 5% threshold needed to enter the legislature, the far right’s path to an outright majority -- and to forming a state government for the first time -- could become possible. According to experts who have long studied political and social change in Germany’s ex-communist east, the AfD’s surge there has been fueled by the migration crisis, the economic fallout of later shocks -- including the war in Ukraine -- and the failure of Chancellor Merz, the CDU and recent coalition governments to address eastern voters’ concerns.