Protests broke out in many German cities tonight against the CDU/CSU due to their anti-migration policy and cooperation with the AfD in the Bundestag.

Around five thousand protesters have gathered in Leipzig, under the slogan "Stop Merz and AfD - defend the right to asylum".

In Berlin, protesters gathered in front of the CDU headquarters. According to Bild, the party ordered its employees to go home before the protest at 18 p.m. Protests were also announced in front of the CSU headquarters in Munich.

The CDU/CSU yesterday requested in the Bundestag the introduction of measures that would reduce irregular migration to a minimum. The CDU/CSU, among other things, demands that all those who do not have valid travel documents be rejected at the border, and this also includes those who want to apply for asylum in Germany.

The request was granted, but only thanks to the AfD's votes. CDU leader and chancellor candidate for the February 23 election, Friedrich Merz, had been emphasizing for months that he did not want to cooperate with the AfD under any circumstances.

Protesters in Leipzig have created a cardboard 'firewall', which is a term the CDU/CSU uses to emphasize their distant policy towards the AfD.

Several hundred protesters gathered in Dresden in the evening. At the weekend, unions, church associations and organizations such as Fridays for Future announced protests in Berlin against the CDU/CSU's migration policy and their rapprochement with the AfD.

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel today criticized Merz in an unusually harsh tone, after he enabled the AfD to make joint decisions in the Bundestag with the Christian Democrats.

"Merz broke his promise that he would not approach the AfD," said the office of Angela Merkel, who after leaving active politics said she would no longer intervene in daily political events.

Tomorrow, the Bundestag is scheduled to vote again on a specific bill that would ban family reunification for those who do not have the right to reside in Germany.

Merz warned that the parties in Olaf Scholz's minority government would be offered to vote jointly on the proposed laws, but the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Greens have rejected this, saying the proposals conflict with the Constitution.

Since the knife attack in Aschaffenburg a week ago, which was allegedly carried out by an Afghan, the issue of migration has become a major topic ahead of the parliamentary elections.

According to current public opinion polls, the CDU/CSU alliance has around 30 percent of the vote, followed by the AfD with around 20 percent. The SPD and support for the Greens have around 15 percent.