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).