Anti-Trump campaigners tear down cardboard wall at Brandenburg Gate

BERLIN (Reuters) - Activists from the online campaign group Avaaz tore down a cardboard wall near the site of the former Berlin Wall on Friday to urge American expats in Germany to vote against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the U.S. election on Nov. 8.

Many identify Trump with his proposal to build a huge border wall between the United States and Mexico to keep migrants out; moreover, the event was staged in front of the Brandenburg Gate, near the place where U.S. president Ronald Reagan publicly urged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987 to "tear down this wall".

Holding red and blue placards saying "Stop Trump" and "Tear Down Trump's Wall", dozens of cheering activists toppled the 2.5 meter (8.2 foot) structure, emblazoned with a picture of Trump, with their hands and rubber mallets.

Many of the 150 or so onlookers chanted "The wall must come down!" as it was knocked over.

Around 8 million Americans live abroad but only 12 percent of them voted in the 2012 election, Avaaz said in a statement.

"Americans abroad are the 'Swing State' that nobody knows about, who could, however, decide the vote this year. A large number of them live in Germany," said Emma Ruby-Sachs, deputy director of Avaaz.

In a Reuters/Ipsos poll published last week, 42 percent of likely voters supported Clinton, a former secretary of state, and 38 percent backed the Republican real estate tycoon.

(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Caroline Copley; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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