Around 150,000 protest against far-right AfD in Germany

Tens of thousands of protesters took part in demonstrations across Germany against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, after they scored a comprehensive win in a state election last week.

The AfD topped the vote in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt and is now seeking to form the first far-right state government in Germany since World War II.

About 150,000 demonstrators took to the streets in around 20 cities across the country, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, in protests advocating for a ban on the AfD, organisers said.

Protestors waved signs with slogans that read "Ban the AfD now," and "Democracy needs no alternatives".

"A broad cross-section of civil society is taking to the streets to prevent the enemies of the constitution, the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, from gaining government power," said Christoph Bautz, head of campaign group Campact, also involved in the demonstrations.

The rise of the AfD has unnerved many who feel Germany has a special responsibility to atone for its Nazi past and calls have grown for mainstream parties to seek to ban the group.

However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of the centre-right CDU party, remains sceptical about banning the AfD.

In Berlin, police said several thousand protesters took part in several demonstrations.

The AfD held a counter-demonstration in the capital, attended by Kristin Brinker, its lead candidate in next weekend's regional elections in Berlin.

The anti-immigration, Russia-friendly party took almost 44% of the vote in last Sunday's election in Saxony-Anhalt, against 17% for the CDU.

It fell three seats short of an absolute majority and has started talks with other groups and MPs in an effort to form a state government.