SouthernWorldwide.com – Tens of thousands of far-left protesters took to the streets in Erfurt, Germany, on Saturday, engaging in clashes with police as they voiced their opposition to the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Video footage captured scenes of police using batons and riot control measures to push back demonstrators. The protesters were heard chanting slogans against the AfD, which is the second-largest parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag.
According to the Associated Press, police reported that over 30,000 individuals participated in the demonstrations. Many carried signs with messages such as “Stop AfD Nazis” and “For Diversity, Against Nazis.”
Despite the intense confrontations, police informed news outlets that the demonstrations were “mostly peaceful.” They noted approximately 100 reported violations, primarily instances of graffiti.
The protests occurred concurrently with the AfD’s party conference and leadership elections. During this event, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were re-elected as the party’s co-leaders.
The large-scale demonstrations caused a delay in the AfD’s voting process. Following the disruption, Tino Chrupalla criticized the methods employed by the protesters to express their dissent.
“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,” Chrupalla stated, as reported by the AP.
Chrupalla also asserted that the protesters were acting in an anti-democratic manner. He added, “They believe they have a monopoly on democracy. To these demonstrators I say: this democracy is just as much our democracy as it is yours.”
A spokesperson for the local antifascist group “widersetzen” explicitly stated that the group’s objective was to disrupt the AfD’s party convention.
Lena Raupach, a spokesperson for widersetzen, told the AP, “The AfD pursues fascist policies: It wants mass deportations and terror on the streets. At the same time, however, it doesn’t solve a single real problem.” She further elaborated, “It pursues policies that benefit the rich, not ordinary citizens. And we at widersetzen want a society in which all people have equal opportunities and equal security. We want a society based on solidarity.”
The AfD is currently facing accusations of extremism from citizens and politicians from the center-left and center-right factions within the country’s ruling coalition. However, the party rejects these claims, arguing that it is “being used as a political instrument by mainstream parties,” according to the AP.
In recent years, the AfD has seen a significant increase in its popularity. The party secured over 20% of the national vote in the 2025 federal elections and aims to achieve even greater success in the upcoming elections. Some federal polls currently rank the AfD as the most popular party in Germany.
“We will win. Maybe we’ll be able to govern alone soon,” Chrupalla remarked on Saturday. He continued, “That would send the right message to the enemies of democracy out there who wanted to prevent our party convention from taking place.”
Attendees at the AfD party conference largely support the conservative movement associated with President Donald Trump. The party shares similar views on social, cultural, and domestic issues with the Trump administration, particularly concerning immigration. One attendee at the conference was seen wearing a “Make Germany Great Again” hat, seemingly inspired by Trump’s prominent slogan.
