Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Germany on Thursday after a controversial motion demanding migration reforms was passed in parliament the previous day with support from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

A who's who of German talent signed an open letter calling for political leaders to "uphold democratic values" after a historic vote in the Bundestag that saw anti-immigration proposal pass with the support of the far-right.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the headquarters of Germany's opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) in Berlin on Wednesday evening to protest against the conservative bloc pushing through a motion to tighten migration policy with the help of votes from the far right.

German members of parliament held an emotional debate about whether to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Thursday, after it helped to pass a controversial motion in parliament the previous day demanding hard-line migration reforms.

Protesters in Germany on Thursday rallied against the conservative CDU party to decry its cooperation with the far-right AfD in pushing through parliament a motion to demand a crackdown on immigration.