POLITICIANS and former ministers have thrown their weight behind the huge wave of protests against the far right erupting in Germany over the weekend, with a number of leading figures calling for the demonstrations to continue.

Following Saturday’s huge demonstrations, further protests on Sunday saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets of Germany’s cities, with campaigners condemning a neonazi meeting that discussed the idea of deporting immigrants en masse.

Some members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) were said to be present at the November meeting.

A report by journalism network Correctiv on the meeting — which primarily focused on a mass deportation programme for migrants and asylum-seekers, including some German citizens — has sent shockwaves throughout the country, with banners calling for far-right parties to be outlawed.

Among the participants at the talks near the east German city of Potsdam was Austria citizen Martin Sellner, a leader of the extremist Identitarian Movement, which claims that there is a plot to replace Europe’s “native” white population with non-white migrants.

A number of politicians and churches have welcomed the protests and called for the rallies to continue, with Greek former fininace minister Yanis Varoufakis saying today that he was “glad to see these demos in Germany against the far right.”

However, he did contrast the action in Germany with the support given to Israelis and its war in Gaza.

“I wish they considered the obscenity of the total support offered to the far-right genocidal Israeli government by almost every German political party,” Mr Varoufakis said.

The Party of European Socialists also said it stood with the protesters in Germany.

“Millions are protesting against the rise of the far right,” it said.

“German citizens want their democracy to be protected against intolerance and racism.”

Among the prominent German politicians and elected officials who voiced support for Sunday’s protests was President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who released a video statement saying: “The future of our democracy does not depend on the volume of its opponents, but on the strength of those who defend democracy.”