Thousands gather in Berlin to denounce harsh new immigration rules and far-right policies

Multiple protests occurred in Berlin, with varying estimates of attendance. According to police reports, at least 20,000 people gathered at the beginning of a protest against the far right on Sunday. Organizers claimed that approximately 160,000 or 200,000 people turned out to denounce the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) for breaching its promise to not cooperate with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with some protesters accusing CDU leader Friedrich Merz of making a "pact with the devil".