Associated Incidents
Several Tiktok videos some with millions of views show large demonstrations where chants of "East, East, East Germany" can be heard. The profiles that spread them are called "Alice Weidel Fan" or "AfD John". In the comments, many users express their support for the party. But the videos do not show demos for the AfD, but people who demonstrated against right-wing extremism in January 2024. The East Germany chants were added later. In the original recordings, they shout things like "All of Berlin hates the AfD".
These viral videos show demonstrations against right-wing extremism and non-AfD supporters (source: Tiktok; screenshots and collage: CORRECTIV.Faktencheck)
Videos show demonstrations against right-wing extremism -- sound was added later
One of the videos from January 21, 2025 has over three million views. It contains the name of the AfD between two blue hearts and the incomplete sentence "100,000 people voted for the AfD in Hamburg today for our democracy." This suggests that the recording shows a current demonstration for the party. However, a keyword search on Tiktok reveals a post by Fridays for Future Hamburg with the same recording from January 28, 2024. According to this, it is a demonstration against the AfD or against right-wing extremism. This is also confirmed by a comparison with recordings from media reports from that time.
In the Fridays For Future video, no original sound, but music can be heard -- however, since it is an aerial recording, it is questionable whether a soundtrack was recorded at all. A request from us to Fridays for Future Hamburg about this remained unanswered until publication.
The same recording as in the current video (left) was already published on Tiktok in January 2024 (right) and shows a demonstration against right-wing extremism (source: Tiktok; screenshot and collage: CORRECTIV.Faktencheck)
In another video with the text "AfD Demo Berlin" from January 24, 2025, the same "East Germany" chants can be heard. However, it shows a demonstration against right-wing extremism and the AfD in Berlin on January 21, 2024. In the original, you can hear some demonstrators shouting "All of Berlin hates the AfD," as we reported in a fact check in January 2024. Even then, the video was distributed with a false soundtrack.
Another Tiktok video (left), which is supposed to show AfD supporters, is already old and, according to media reports and posts from January 2024 (right), shows a demonstration against right-wing extremism (source: Tiktok; screenshots and collage: CORRECTIV.Faktenncheck)
Another video also shows a demonstration against right-wing extremism in Hamburg in January 2024
In another video with the "East Germany" soundtrack from January 23, 2025, it says "We must stick together, only AfD, 100,000 people". This video also suggests that it is a demonstration for the party. But from second 12 onwards, the bottom half of the video says in English "Over 100,000 people demonstrated against Germany's far-right AfD party."
A keyword search reveals a Tiktok video from January 21, 2024 with the same English text overlays and the same recording -- but zoomed out a bit. The description there says in English: "Drone footage of an anti-AFD protest shows the scale of the event in Hamburg." In addition, a user name is given as the source: "fazilamiri7". The corresponding Tiktok account has since been deleted, but the same recording can be seen in an archived post from January 19, 2024. It also says that it was a demonstration against the AfD.
In fact, a large demonstration against right-wing extremism and the AfD took place on January 19, 2024 around Jungfernstieg in downtown Hamburg. The Tiktok video matches recordings from media reports. These are also aerial recordings in which no sound may have been recorded. In other However, in the videos of the event no chants of "East Germany" can be heard.
A comparison between the video by "fazilamiri7" and a photo from the demonstration against right-wing extremism on January 19, 2024 in Hamburg suggests that both show the same event. (Source: Archive.org / Stephan Wallocha / EPD-Bild / Picture Alliance; screenshot, collage and markings: CORRECTIV.Faktencheck)
"East Germany" soundtrack presumably comes from fans of Dynamo Dresden
There is also no evidence that there were large demonstrations for the AfD in Hamburg or Berlin in January 2025. In fact, there were several demonstrations there this year according to various media reports against right-wing extremism and the party.
As we previously reported, other Tiktok videos were also misleadingly accompanied by an "East Germany" chant. In fact, fans of the Dresden football club Dynamo often chant "East, East, East Germany," as a Google search shows. According to media reports, some fans also repeatedly attract attention with right-wing and, among other things, transphobic attitudes. Among Dynamo fans and on the part of the club there are also initiatives that campaign against racism and other forms of discrimination.
The two Tiktok profiles from which the videos with the altered soundtrack came deleted all content, including the videos, after a request from CORRECTIV. It was not their intention to spread false information, both wrote in an identical message, which suggests that they are the same person.