Thousands of people gathered across Germany on Saturday to voice opposition to right-wing extremism the day before the European Parliament elections, organizers and police reported.
In Berlin, a peaceful protest drew 15,000 people, according to police estimates. The organizers had registered a demonstration for 10,000.
The protesters held up placards reading "Rights for people instead of right-wing people" and "Diversity without alternative."
The organizers in Leipzig put the numbers there also at 15,000, while the police estimate was 12,500. A protest in Dresden also drew thousands.
One of the speakers to speak at the Berlin rally was Matthias Ecke, a candidate in the elections, who was beaten up as he was putting up election posters for the Social Democrats (SPD) in Dresden a month ago.
"We want to wake people up to go and vote and give a clear signal for democracy and human rights one day before the European and municipal elections," Irena Rudolph-Kokot, one of the Leipzig organizers, said.
Sandra Hüller, who was nominated for an Oscar this year for her lead role in "Anatomy of a Fall," addressed the Leipzig rally, calling on people to vote.
People should not allow themselves to be infected by the "coarse tone from the right, by the inaccuracy and violence in the language that has the sole aim of creating uncertainty and division," she said.
A broad alliance of civil society organizations in major cities, including Hamburg, Munich and Cologne, had called for the demonstrations under the rubric "Halt right-wing extremism. Defend democracy."
