Tens of thousands of far-left protesters flooded the streets and clashed with police in the Germany city of Erfurt on Saturday as they protested the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Protests and Police Response
Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country’s conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally. Police said over 30,000 people attended the demonstrations, according to the Associated Press (AP), and people could be seen carrying signs reading ‘Stop AfD’ and ‘For Diversity, Against Extremism.’ Despite the tense clashes caught on video, police told news outlets the demonstrations have been ‘mostly peaceful,’ and claimed they’ve recorded approximately 100 law violations, mostly due to graffiti.
The protests coincided with AfD’s party conference and leadership elections during which the party, the second largest parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag parliament, re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as the party co-leaders. Chrupalla criticized the method in which agitators expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that ‘there are no peaceful seated blockades. There are no democratic roadblocks. Nor are there any gangs of thugs who deserve the harmless label ‘civil society.’ These troublemakers are the last resort of our political rivals.’
Party Response and Accusations
A spokesperson for local antifascist group widersetzen explicitly claimed that the group’s intention was to block AfD’s party convention, accusing the party of pursuing ‘fascist policies’ and stating that ‘it wants mass deportations and terror on the streets.’ AfD rejects the notion that it is extreme, arguing it is ‘being used as a political instrument by mainstream parties,’ according to the AP.
The party has been experiencing a historic surge in popularity in recent years, grabbing over 20% of the national vote in federal elections in 2025 with an eye on capturing even more in the next election. Some federal polls have the party ranked as the most popular in the country today. Partygoers widely support the conservative moment fashioned by President Donald Trump and the party shares similar stances on social, cultural and domestic issues as the Trump administration, particularly on immigration.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
