German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday welcomed demonstrations against the far right that took place in cities across Germany over the weekend as a "important signal for democracy and cohesion in society."

Speaking after a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin with representatives of migrant organizations, Scholz pledged solidarity with migrant groups in light of a recently publicized scheme connected to the far-right calling for mass-deportations, or "remigration."

Scholz said people with a migrant background felt targeted when right-wing extremists "spread their inhumane ideas about resettlement."

"It is important to me to make it personally clear here in the chancellery today: We are firmly at your side," he said. 

He acknowledged many people with a migrant background in Germany were living with the fear they could be targeted by right-wing extremists.

Protests against far-right 

On January 10, a report by the investigative journalism group Correctiv revealed a secret meeting of business people, politicians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), among others, and neo-Nazis, where participants discussed a secret plan for the mass deportation of millions of immigrants. 

Since then,hundreds of thousands of demonstratorshave taken to the streets of German cities in opposition to the far-right. Scholz has taken part and also regularly commented on them.

This weekend, Germany's Interior Ministry estimated that 480,000 people attended more than 120 separate events around the country. A demonstration at the Reichstag building in Berlin drew more than 150,000 people, according to police. 

On Monday, Scholz said that right-wing extremism was a "threat" to German democracy. 

"We will not allow right-wing extremism and intolerance to divide our society" the chancellor said. "Germany is our shared home." 

wmr/msh (dpa, epd, KNA)

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