Delegates at the national convention of the Alternative for Germany party, a conservative activist group, reelected its leaders, including Alice Weidel, as tens of thousands of protesters aimed to disrupt the meeting and some clashed with police.

Party Unity and Protests

The demonstrations outside the convention in the eastern city of Erfurt reflected how Alternative for Germany has divided Germany even while becoming the biggest opposition party nationally and the strongest political force in Germany’s formerly communist east.

Party officials hailed their “fundamental, legally guaranteed right to hold party conventions.” Alternative for Germany co-leader Tino Chrupalla said, “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.”

Growing Support and Controversy

Alternative for Germany achieved second place in the February 2025 national election with 20.8% of the vote, the best showing by a conservative activist party since World War II. Since then, support has risen to first among the nation’s political parties.

The party has become adept at harnessing discontent with issues well beyond its signature theme of curbing illegal immigration, which powered its rise in the mid-2010s. Alternative for Germany hopes to win 40% or more of the vote in a Sept. 6 state election in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt.

Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.