The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party launched its annual congress in Erfurt on Saturday, an event met with significant public opposition as thousands of protesters gathered to demonstrate against the far-right movement. While local police reported that activists attempted to block access roads to the conference venue, the efforts did not prevent the event from proceeding as scheduled.
Tensions were evident outside the venue, with video footage surfacing on social media that captured police clashing with a group of protesters carrying antifa flags. Despite the disruption, AfD national co-leader Alice Weidel addressed the assembly, dismissing the opposition. She remarked, “To the troublemakers out there at the door: you won’t bring us down — quite the opposite, we’re only getting stronger and bigger.”
The organization Widersetzen, which spearheaded the protests, estimated that 17,000 individuals participated in the demonstrations. In a statement posted to Instagram, the group challenged the party, writing, “Who’s making the headlines today: US. Who’s hiding in glass-walled halls: the fascists of the AfD. The demonstrations are a formidable counterforce. We’re ready to stand up for social justice.”
The AfD currently stands as Germany’s most popular party according to recent polling, following a strong performance in the last federal elections where it secured second place with over 20 percent of the vote. The party is now positioned to potentially win in two upcoming state elections in eastern Germany this September. Despite these electoral gains, other political entities, such as the conservatives led by Friedrich Merz, have maintained a “firewall” to exclude the AfD from federal government participation. Additionally, some international ideological allies, including the French National Rally, have distanced themselves from the German party, citing concerns that it has become too extremist.
