500 people demonstrate in Hildesheim: We are the cityscape!”

500 people demonstrate in Hildesheim: We are the cityscape!”

In Hildesheim today, October 25, 2025, around 500 people demonstrated against racism. The event moved from the main train station to the city center, past the local CDU office to the town hall. This is reported by the Goslar newspaper, which also confirmed that the protest went off without incident.

The motto of the demonstration was "What the Fritz??? We are the cityscape!", as a clear reaction to the controversial statements by Chancellor Friedrich Merz on migration policy. In Potsdam, Merz spoke of a “problem in the cityscape,” which led to similar protests in various cities, including Hanover and Bremen. Organizers wanted to send a strong signal with the demo: “When the Chancellor declares people to be a ‘problem in the cityscape’, we say loud and clear: We ARE the cityscape!” said Franziska Stange, the DGB district association chairwoman.

Large demonstrations in other cities

This day was an expression of solidarity not only in Hildesheim. According to the police, around 2,650 people gathered in Hamburg, while the organizers reported 10,000 participants. This demonstration moved from the town hall market towards the main train station and called for a strong fight against racism and division. Clear messages such as “Merz out of our cityscape” were conveyed via banners, as shown on Time online is to be read. The Hamburg AfD parliamentary group vehemently criticized the protest.

The displeasure against Merz's statements about migrants without residence rights and work can be felt across the country. In various cities, such as Magdeburg, over 300 people came to the demonstrations to make their voices heard. There was also an incident in Bonn when the CDU district office was daubed with the slogan “Measure to beautify the cityscape,” which was followed by state security investigations.

People in focus

The debate about racism and migration is not only political, but also has social dimensions. A current analysis by the Racism Monitor shows that racially marked people in Germany experience higher than average psychological stress than non-racially marked groups. Women in particular tended to have higher levels of stress in these surveys, which suggests that social tensions also have an impact on psychological well-being.

The protests that took place in several cities today are many citizens' response to the burgeoning racism and stigmatization of migrants. It remains to be seen what the political reactions to civil society's resistance will be.