On Sunday, tens of thousands of people gathered in Berlin to protest against plans to limit immigration proposed by opposition conservatives and supported by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The demonstration was led by Friedrich Merz, the conservatives' leader who is tipped to become Germany's next chancellor after a national election set for Feb. 23. The protesters held banners reading 'We are the firewall, no cooperation with the AfD' and 'Merz, go home, shame on you!'.

The failure of Merz to secure a majority in the lower house dealt a blow to his authority and to the mainstream German parties' efforts to prevent the AfD from achieving legislative power.

The draft law would have restricted family reunifications for some refugees and called for more people to be refused at the border.

Two-thirds of the public support stronger immigration rules, according to a recent poll.

Merz had argued that the bill was a necessary response to a series of high-profile killings in public spaces by people with an immigrant background.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens said the proposals would not have stopped the attacks and violated European law.

On Saturday, tens of thousands took to the streets across many other German cities, including Hamburg, Stuttgart and Leipzig, in similar protests against the CDU/CSU and the AfD.