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.

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,

Polling data in home town of Friedrich Merz, Germany’s frontrunner to be next chancellor, are worry for main parties

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%.

Tens of thousands of Germans protested in Berlin and other cities against the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.