Tens of thousands have protested across Germany against the center-right leader and front-runner in a Feb. 25 election for sending to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules with support of a far-right party.

The leader of Germany's conservative opposition, Friedrich Merz, appealed to demonstrators to behave peacefully as mass protests took place against his party on Sunday. "I call on all those who are protesting now to do so peacefully,

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Friedrich Merz, her successor as leader of the country’s conservatives, on Thursday for pushing through a bill on tighter immigration control with the help of the far right.

Thousands of people protested in Berlin on Sunday against plans to limit immigration proposed by opposition conservatives and supported by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).