From outrage to action: Explaining mass mobilization against the far right in Germany

In early 2024, revelations concerning a meeting of far-right actors to discuss large-scale deportations triggered one of the largest waves of protest in modern German history. What brought people into the streets was not outrage at these plans alone, but also a deeper anxiety about the trajectory of liberal democracy, intensified by the growing strength of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Against this backdrop, the present article draws on theories of grievances, mobilizing structures, political opportunity, and micro-mobilization to examine both the geography of protest and the determinants of participation. Combining protest event data with survey evidence, we suggest that mobilization was shaped less by grievances related to deportation threats than by the organizational strength of, and individual affinities with, parties of the center left. We also identify a curvilinear relationship between the legacy of far-right mobilization and anti-far-right protest: moderate levels of prior far-right activity tend to stimulate anti-far-right protest, while high levels may suppress it—particularly in contexts where mobilizing structures on the center left are weak or absent. In sum, these findings underscore the complexity of mass protest in defense of democracy, pointing to the interplay of various structural, organizational, and individual dynamics.