German nationalists plan Berlin march, face counter-protests

BERLIN – Supporters of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party are gathering for a march in central Berlin against Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, while opponents are mobilizing for counter-protests.

Alternative for Germany, known by its German acronym AfD, is the biggest opposition party after winning 12.6 percent of the vote to enter the national parliament last year on anti-migrant and anti-establishment sentiment. Its march Sunday, an unusual move for a German political party, is headlined "Germany's Future."

AfD supporters plan to march from the capital's main station to the landmark Brandenburg Gate. About 2,000 police officers were in place to prevent trouble.

Groups that planned to turn out against AfD include artists and a coalition of Berlin music clubs hoping to "blow away" the party with loud techno beats.