Clashes Erupt at Anti-Mass Immigration Conference

On Saturday, a gathering of the anti-mass immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Erfurt was disrupted by far-left Antifa activists, who clashed with police and journalists at the event.

AfD members met at the exhibition center in Thuringia to elect their leadership, but outside, around 20,000 leftist demonstrators protested, as reported by police.

Protesters, many wearing black clothing associated with Antifa, blocked key roads leading to the conference venue, including the A71 highway near Gottstedt. This resulted in sit-in protests that created major disruptions.

During the clashes, police faced aggression from some activists, who set off fireworks in a chaotic display. Protesters could be heard chanting slogans that accused the police and urged them to stop filming the confrontations.

Journalists covering the event were also put at risk, with demonstrators frequently demanding they “put your cameras away!”

Max Manhart, editor of the right-wing platform Apollo News, recounted that three of his reporters were “cornered and beaten” by Antifa members. While police confirmed there was video evidence of the incident, they did not share specifics.

Left-leaning politicians, including Kirsten Schneider, the government environment minister from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), participated in the protests. Schneider expressed that the demonstrations united people against issues that threaten Germany as a whole.

Luke Hess, belonging to the Left Party (Die Linke), described the demonstration as a “huge success,” highlighting the left’s ability to challenge what he labels as fascist parties.

Following her re-election as co-chair, AfD leader Alice Weidel declared that such protests would not deter the party’s growth. “On the contrary, we will only grow stronger and bigger!” she asserted.

Weidel noted that the AfD’s paid membership elevated from 50,000 at the end of 2024 to 75,000 currently, and she expects this number to reach 100,000 soon.

“We are Germany’s new people’s party,” she stated, referencing recent polls indicating the AfD has emerged as the leading party with approximately 29% of the vote.

Weidel criticized Chancellor Merz’s Christian Democratic Union for diverging from what she saw as the true interests of the German populace, suggesting that the SPD has also lost its footing as a representative of the working class.