TENS of thousands took to the streets of Germany over the weekend to protest against the government’s proposed tough new immigration rules that received the backing of a far-right party.

Protesters showed their anger towards right-wing opposition leader and frontrunner in the February 25 election, Friedrich Merz, and his Christian Democrat Union (CDU) party, whose plans were rejected in the Bundestag on Friday.

There were huge protests in Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Leipzig accusing Mr Merz of breaking Germany’s unwritten post-Nazi promise by all democratic parties to never pass any rule or resolution in parliament with the support of far-right, nationalist parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

On Wednesday, Mr Merz proposed a non-binding motion calling for Germany to turn back many more migrants at its borders, which passed with AfD support.

But on Friday, the German parliament rejected a Bill calling for tougher rules on migration that risked becoming the first draft-legislation to pass thanks to a far-right party. 

Mr Merz appears to hope that he will gain support in February’s election by making the CDU look decisive in forcing a tougher approach to migration and making the governing parties, which say they already have done much to tackle the issue, look out of touch with Germans’ concerns.

Hundreds of protesters temporarily blocked offices of the Christian Democrats in different cities and on Sunday afternoon up to 20,000 came together for a big rally in Berlin.

In Cologne, people protested on 350 boats on the Rhine, German news agency dpa reported, holding up banners with slogans such as “No racism” and “For democracy and diversity.”

A year ago, hundreds of thousands also protested in weeks-long rallies all over Germany against the rise of the far right and purported plans to deport millions of immigrants, including some holding German passports.