Human rights instead of right-wing people

Large demonstration on the Theresienwiese in Munich: A strong signal in favour of democracy

With creative and self-designed posters, around 250,000 people demonstrated for democracy in Munich on Saturday 8 February 2025. The event, organised by “München ist bunt” in cooperation with numerous other organisations, sent out an impressive signal for diversity and the rule of law.

The demonstration, which was organised under the slogan “Democracy needs you!”, had already been announced in mid-January. However, the political developments of recent weeks in particular gave the protest a new urgency. At the end of January, CDU chairman Friedrich Merz deliberately accepted that parts of his planned tightening of migration policy would find a majority with votes from the AfD – a development that many see as a worrying rapprochement between the CDU/CSU parties and the right-wing populists.

Munich was already the scene of a large demonstration in January 2024. Back then, more than 100,000 people gathered on Ludwigstraße. The enormous turnout even led to the event having to be cancelled for security reasons. In addition to criticising the AfD, the CDU, CSU and the traffic light government were also criticised at the time.

The protest in the state capital has now mobilised even more people: According to police estimates, around 250,000 demonstrators flocked to the Theresienwiese on Saturday, while the organisers even spoke of 320,000 – a new record. The messages were diverse, ranging from clear statements against racism to demands for a defensive democracy.

Lead photo in the TAZ on 10.2.25