Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Police say 12 rallies are planned ahead of Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt
- Rhine states seek additional funding after low-water crisis
- Police hunt possible ‘climate extremist’ after power grid sabotage
- Hackers carry out threat to release Berlin state records
Here is our roundup of news and analysis from Germany on Saturday, September 5
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Skip next section Thousands turn out at ‘Democracy Festival’ in Saxony-Anhalt09/05/2026September 5, 2026
Thousands turn out at ‘Democracy Festival’ in Saxony-Anhalt
Thousands of people joined a “march for democracy” on Saturday in Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt.
Organized by a coalition called “Saxony-Anhalt: Open to the World,” the march was called to uphold values of democracy, diversity and inclusivity ahead of a state election in which the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) is comfortably leading opinion polls.
Germany’s federal intelligence service has labeled the AfD state branch in Saxony-Anhalt as a right-wing extremist organization.
At the demo on Saturday, attendees carried signs that read “more love, less hate,” “a better life without Nazis,” and “the potato is also of foreign origin,” among other slogans.
Police estimated that some 6,000 people participated in the march from Magdeburg’s central station to Cathedral Square, where another 3,000 people joined them.
Among them were contingents from trade unions, church groups and other civic organizations.
“As initiatives, clubs, associations, and individuals, we are taking a stand and advocating for respectful coexistence in our state,” the organizers stated in their call to action.
According to police, eight gatherings had been registered to take place in Magdeburg on Saturday. Others included a human chain for democracy and a democracy-themed cycling tour.
In an interview with German daily the Tagesspiegel, right-wing extremism expert Heike Kleffner praised the organizers’ “paradoxical confidence” in being able to mobilize democratic masses despite being under attack.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LgCMSkip next section Steinmeier urges unity ahead of Saxony-Anhalt election09/05/2026September 5, 2026
Steinmeier urges unity ahead of Saxony-Anhalt election
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has warned that Germany’s democracy and rule of law need protection from those “who scorn and trample all over them.”
Steinmeier was speaking ahead of Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to receive by far the most votes.
While not singling out any party, he appeared to take aim at AfD’s policies and rhetoric, which critics describe as extremist and anti-migrant and supporters label a patriotic defense of national borders and security.
“Ethnic-based thinking and nationalist isolationism are simply not the answer to the challenges of the 21st century,” Steinmeier told a community festival in Bonn.
Steinmeier, who steps down from office in March after ten years, described liberal democracy as an “achievement” and “a blessing for us all.”
He said those who wish to protect and preserve democracy represent the majority and that anger and outrage offer no way forward.
“You cannot build a future on hatred and incitement,” Steinmeier warned.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5LfHuSkip next section Manhunt continues after sabotage on German power grid09/05/2026September 5, 2026
Manhunt continues after sabotage on German power grid
Police in Germany continue to hunt for a 48-year-old man suspected of causing deliberate damage to the country’s electricity grid.
The most serious incident was on Tuesday evening at a substation in Bergheim, west of Cologne.
Launch devices were used to fire cables across overhead lines, causing a short circuit that forced five units of the nearby Niederaussem coal plant to temporarily disconnect from the network.
Earlier the same day, a similar attack was carried out near the Jänschwalde plant in eastern Brandenburg. More than a dozen launch devices were found.
On Thursday, a passer-by found similar unused devices at a substation in Dormagen, between Cologne and Düsseldorf.
Police say the objects matched the launch gear used in the other incidents.
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Germany’s DPA news agency reported on Friday that a man from a town near Dortmund claimed responsibility for the incidents in two letters.
His motive is reportedly to draw attention to the use of fossil fuels in electricity production, which he called a “crime.”
This week, officers found explosives in the 48-year-old’s home, while a special operations unit stormed a truck in a wood, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. The suspect was not found.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has described the acts as “climate extremism.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5Lf4wSkip next section FBI puts German fraudster on Most Wanted list09/05/2026September 5, 2026
FBI puts German fraudster on Most Wanted list
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has added German national Bernhard Fritsch to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list.
Fritsch was convicted by a jury in Los Angeles last year of fleecing investors of about $26.8 million (€23.1 million) with a fake celebrity-influencer app.
Instead of building the product, prosecutors say the 65-year-old spent millions on cars, a yacht and a Malibu villa.
Fritsch was sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia after fleeing to Mexico.
Despite being detained by immigration officials in Mexico, he then fled to Germany and is believed to be in the Munich area.
The FBI is prepared to pay up to $150,000 for any information about his whereabouts.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LekMSkip next section Four states demand federal support to waterways after drought09/05/2026September 5, 2026
Four states demand federal support to waterways after drought
After a summer drought caused severe low water levels on the Rhine River, four of Germany’s states have called on Berlin to increase funding to modernize inland waterways.
Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia said the federal government must invest at least €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) per year to boost maintenance.
Germany’s waterways, including the Rhine, play a key role in moving raw materials across the country, carrying more than 5% of all freight transported,
They said politicians often focus on investing in roads and railways, while canals and rivers often get neglected.
Over the summer, the Rhine became almost impassable at one key location and many ships plying the Rhine had to operate with much-reduced cargoes.
Economists at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy estimated the drought would cause an economic loss of up to €2 billion.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Transport Minister Viktor Haase called for new fleets of inland vessels that can reliably operate even in extreme low-water conditions.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LeddSkip next section Several rallies planned on eve of Saxony-Anhalt state election09/05/2026September 5, 2026
Several rallies planned on eve of Saxony-Anhalt state election
Thousands of people are expected at rallies in eastern Germany’s state of Saxony-Anhalt ahead of elections for a new regional parliament.
Police said 12 events have been registered in the state capital, Magdeburg, with others in Halle.
Most of the demonstrations are against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is widely expected to receive the most support in Sunday’s vote.
Trade unions and civil society groups are organizing the largest rallies. Their events include a so-called democracy festival.
The AfD will also hold its final campaign event in Magdeburg.
The latest polls put the AfD at over 40% support, putting it on course to be the largest party in the state parliament by a wide margin.
However, without an outright majority, the chance of the AfD forming a government will get messy as mainstream parties have ruled out a coalition with the far right.
No smaller party expected to enter parliament has offered to formally support an AfD-led government.
The AfD could take office on its own only if it wins a majority of seats.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LeNRSkip next section Welcome to our coverage09/05/2026September 5, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Wesley Dockery Editor
Guten Morgen from Germany, where more than a dozen rallies are planned ahead of Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt.
For the first time since World War II, a far-right party — the Alternative for Germany (AfD) — could win the most votes and could theoretically take power in the eastern German state.
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After cargo shipping was disrupted due to severe low water levels on the Rhine River this summer, four German states have asked the federal government for additional support.
Also, the FBI has added a German businessman from Bavaria to its most-wanted list.
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