A large demonstration against German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policies has been held in the German capital of Berlin, with protesters shouting “Merkel must go!” A counter-rally has also been staged in the city.
Hundreds of people gathered for a right-wing rally at Berlin’s central railway station demanding that Angela Merkel step down. The crowd was waving German national flags, as well as the flags of the German empire and those of the German anti-Nazi resistance movement from World War II.
The protesters were shouting “We are the people!” and “Merkel must go!” Some were also holding up placards and banners reading “Merkel must go” and “The queen of smugglers. Merkel must leave.”
Speakers at the rally addressed the protesters, demanding that Merkel introduce a cap on new arrivals and implement tougher security measures.
“Merkel destroys Germany,” one protester told RT correspondent at the scene.
“It is not acceptable that we let people in our country without correct checks. We have a situation with people arriving and it is unclear what their intensions are,” another protester said.
The anti-Merkel rally was organized by an activist group called “We are for Berlin, we are for Germany” to express discontent with the Chancellor’s open door migration policy. It is the third such rally organized by this group. Two others were held in March and May, German media report.
About 1,350 people took part in the demonstration, according to police.