by Michael C. Geiss
Magdeburg (GER) 29.07.2023, Thousands took to the streets to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Friday and Saturday as the party held a convention to choose its candidates for European parliamentary elections next year.
Protesters outside the conference venue in the city of Magdeburg waved banners with messages like "Stand together against right-wing hate" or "Nazis out".
Omas gegen Rechts was founded in November 2017 in Vienna. While Oma literally translates to “granny” in English, the word is generally used in the German-speaking world to refer to old women. Today there are more than 70 Omas gegen Rechts groups active across Austria, and more than 100 groups in Germany.
“We are the postwar generation—we know firsthand that societies can change and that there is power in speaking up,” Salzer and Scholl wrote. “We want to be a megaphone for others. By going out into the streets and opening our mouths, we challenge the cliché of the old, defenceless granny. No one reckoned on assertive old women like us.”
