Massive protests against right-wing extremism: Weimar is arming itself!

Massive protests against right-wing extremism: Weimar is arming itself!

On Saturday, April 26, 2025, numerous rallies will take place in Weimar under the motto “Together for Germany”. These events are usually initiated by right-wing extremist, right-wing and “lateral thinker” initiatives. Loud uni-weimar.de The Theaterplatz will be used as a meeting place, with the start set for 2 p.m. Afterwards, a demonstration is expected through the city center of Weimar.

In order to take the security situation into account, the Executive Board of the Bauhaus University Weimar has agreed that the Thuringian police can use the university's sanitary facilities. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., police forces have access to the affected buildings, including Coudraystrasse 13 and the foyer of the university library at Steubenstrasse 6. During this time, regular access to the buildings remains guaranteed for members of the university and visitors to the library.

Counter-demonstrations and recommendations

Counter-demonstrations have been organized in response to the rallies. The Citizens' Alliance Against Right-Wing Extremism (BgR) and civil society initiatives are calling for participation under the motto “Space for Democracy”. These counter-demonstrations begin at 1 p.m. in various locations, such as Wielandplatz, Sophienstiftsplatz and Goetheplatz near Geleitstrasse.

The Executive Board of the Bauhaus University also made an important recommendation: pay special attention to the situation on Saturday and avoid conflict situations. In addition, the opportunity to promote cosmopolitanism and tolerance through posters with the slogan “GOLD INSTEAD OF BROWN” is highlighted. Poster collection locations are the university library, the main building on the ground floor, Amalienstraße 13 (ground floor) and the Bauhaus.Atelier.

Protest movements in context

The upcoming events in Weimar are part of a broader protest movement in Germany. As early as February 3, 2024, demonstrators mobilized nationwide against right-wing extremism, erupting with a participation of 150,000 in Berlin, as tagesschau.de reported. The Berlin protest, which took place under the motto “We are the firewall: alliance against the right,” showed the determination of many citizens to take a stand against the growing right-wing movement. Organizers and participants experienced a strong turnout and supported the demands for an inclusive and democratic Germany.

Protesters united with a wide range of slogans such as “All together against fascism” and “No room for racism,” while leading politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, stressed the importance of the demonstrations. In the run-up to these mobilizations, there were already reports of right-wing extremist meetings that led to the creation of social awareness of the problem.

The current protests are anchored in a larger political context and show that the German audience is increasingly mobilized. In preparation for the upcoming elections, democratic actors are taking the initiative to create a broad alliance against right-wing extremism in order to advocate for open and tolerant coexistence.