© picture alliance / NurPhoto | Tonny Linke
About 20,000 protesters gathered in Erfurt on Saturday to protest a major convention of the German far-right party AfD. They tried to block roads and prevent delegates from attending the convention.
The protesters held sit-ins, glued themselves to tram tracks, and attempted to lower themselves from a bridge. The protests led to confrontations with the police. Although some violence was used and numerous violations were reported, authorities stated that the protests were generally peaceful.
Despite the disruptions, most of the approximately 600 delegates arrived at the venue early in the morning, allowing the conference—at which co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected—to begin on time. In his opening speech, Chrupalla immediately took aim at the protesters: “They think they have a monopoly on democracy. To these protesters I say: this democracy is just as much ours as it is yours,” according to Die Zeit. “These troublemakers are the last line of defense for our political opponents.”
The event is taking place in the run-up to important regional elections. Chrupalla called on supporters to help his party secure an absolute majority in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, while taking another jab at the protesters: “That would send the right signal to the enemies of democracy who wanted to prevent our party convention from taking place.”
The convention has drawn additional criticism because it coincides with the 100th anniversary of a Nazi-era rally in nearby Weimar. Critics view the choice of venue for the convention as a deliberate provocation, but the AfD denies this. Protesters, including politicians and civil society organizations, accused the party of promoting extremist and anti-democratic views. Some are even calling for the party to be banned.
AfD leaders dismissed the criticism, arguing that the protests undermine democratic rights, and defended their party’s role in the German political system.
Picture: © picture alliance / NurPhoto | Tonny Linke