Hundreds of thousands of Germans protested at the beginning of February against the initiative by the CDU, supported by the AfD, which has been gaining in the polls. The controversy revolves around the deportation of migrants.

The man likely to lead Germany's next government says there would be no cooperation with the far-right AfD. Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc has faced flak after accepting AfD support on legislation.

Thousands of people took to the streets in the southern German city of Freiburg on Monday to demonstrate against the Alternative for Germany (AfD), as protests continue against a shift to the right less than two weeks before the elections.

In the must-see video above, more than 200,000 people protested against the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) in Munich on February 8, local media reported, with similar rallies held across Germany.

Germany's conservative chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz explicitly distanced himself and his party from the far-right AfD, after sparking outrage over his cooperation with the AfD last week.