Germany Protests Neo-Nazis Marches on 'Operation Valkyrie' Day

Over 8,000 Germans took to the streets in Kassel on Saturday to counter a neo-Nazi march orchestrated by "The Right" (Die Rechte), an extremist nationalist party which pursues to settle policies to control the presence of migrants and "non-white" people in the country.

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Authorities reported 8,000 people in the streets prepared to clash with the alleged 500 Die Rechte group members expected to rally in west Germany Saturday. However, none of the alt-right protesters ever arrived.

Die Rechte's protest was meant to denounce the media's alleged "exploitive" and "disgusting" coverage of the assassination of local politician Walter Lubcke, who was shot dead on June 2.

The suspected assassin is a self-proclaimed supremacist and a supporter of Die Rechte. The organization said the media used Lubcke's murder as a means to portray right-wing movements as extremists.

In Halle, supporters of the Identitarian Movement lead their own march, alleging that far-right citizens are being spied on by the secret service.​​​​​​​
 

The neo-nazi marches transpired on the anniversary of a "Operation Valkyrie," the failed assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler led by Colonel Claus von Steuffenberg on July 20, 1944.

In Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to the men who were executed hours after they failed in their objective, a failure which also led to the death of 200 people at the hands of Nazi repression in the following weeks.

"The men and women of the resistance followed their conscience. They stand for all people who fight for humanity, justice and freedom. Honouring [them] means much more than imparting knowledge of history," said Merkel at the site where Colonel von Stauffenberg was executed 75 years ago.​​​​​​​

"Today we are obliged to face all the tendencies wishing to destroy democracy, even with extreme right extremism."