American tech billionaire Elon Musk made a surprise address at the campaign launch for Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as thousands of people gathered across the country to protest the rise of the far-right party.

Musk's support for AfD has helped what was once a fringe political party enter the mainstream, lifting it up in front of a global audience.

The AfD party is polling at about 20% before Germany's February 23 elections, a record for a party. The mainstream conservative CDU/CSU alliance leads with about 30%.

Concerns about Holocaust trivialization and nationalist policies underscore the growing anxiety over the influence of the far-right party, which recently won the endorsement of Elon Musk Strong relations with Israel and a commitment to commemorating the Holocaust have been central tenets in Germany’s identity since the end of the Nazi regime,

Thousands of people protested the rise of the far right in cities across Germany on Saturday, as the Alternative for Germany party campaign kicked off.Thousands of Germans took to the streets in several cities to protest the rise of far-right extremism and the growing popularity of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.

An election campaign event by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the central city of Halle was accompanied by protests on Saturday. Several hundred demonstrators were on site in the city,