AfD state leadership in Brandenburg aims to take over government

Accompanied by protests, the AfD state leadership in Brandenburg declared its willingness to take over the government on Unity Day. The meetings in Fürstenwalde in eastern Brandenburg have so far remained trouble-free in the afternoon. The police were deployed with many forces.

The AfD state chairman René Springer set the goal of 50 percent of the vote for the 2029 state elections. “44 percent is just not enough. “Let’s get 50 in 2029,” he said at the rally in front of visitors, many of whom were waving German flags. Thuringia's AfD state leader Björn Höcke, who is considered the right-wing extremist of his party, was expected to speak in the afternoon.

According to the police's initial estimate, around 1,000 people came to the AfD event in the city of Fürstenwalde. According to the police, around 500 people took part in a protest meeting of an alliance that came together somewhat away from the AfD against the right and for diversity.

In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD was by far the strongest force in the state elections on September 6th with 43.8 percent, but missed out on an absolute majority.

The Left recently caused controversy in the town of Fürstenwalde, which has around 34,000 inhabitants, with a poster saying “Björn Höcke is a Nazi”. The public prosecutor does not consider it to be a criminal offense.

Both the AfD in Brandenburg and the Thuringian state party headed by Höcke are classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.