Thousands Protest AfD Conference in Erfurt as Party Leads in Polls

Protesters blocked several routes to the conference venue while being watched by police in riot gear. The demonstrations were organised by a broad coalition of groups opposed to the AfD and its policies.​

Thousands of people took to the streets of the German city of Erfurt on Saturday to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), blocking roads leading to the party's annual conference as it seeks major gains in upcoming eastern state elections. Police estimated that around 15,000 people joined demonstrations in and around Erfurt, with protesters from trade unions, civil society groups and left-wing parties sitting across roads and highways near the convention centre. Large numbers of police, including reinforcements from across Germany, were deployed to contain the protests. The demonstrations came as the AfD held its two-day annual conference, with the party leading opinion polls nationally and hoping to make further gains in elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The results could give the party a chance to take power at state level for the first time. "We want to make it clear that we simply won't tolerate this, that fascism is on the rise here in Germany," said Georg Becker, a spokesperson for Widersetzen ("Resist"), an anti-AfD umbrella group. Protesters blocked several routes to the conference venue while being watched by police in riot gear. The demonstrations were organised by a broad coalition of groups opposed to the AfD and its policies.

AfD leads in polls

The conference comes at a crucial time for the AfD, which has opened a clear lead over Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives in some national opinion polls. Recent surveys have put support for the AfD as high as 29%, compared with around 22% for Merz's CDU/CSU bloc. The party has also made strong gains in two regional elections in western Germany earlier this year. The AfD's strongest support remains in the former communist east, where voters have shown high levels of frustration with Germany's traditional political parties. In Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern state due to hold elections, the AfD is polling at 41%, ahead of the Christian Democrats at 23%. The party is seeking an outright victory there. It also hopes to emerge as the largest party in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The elections are being closely watched because a strong performance could strengthen the AfD's position ahead of future national elections. Formed more than a decade ago, the party has built support through nationalist rhetoric, calls for tougher immigration policies and appeals to voters frustrated by successive governments and years of economic stagnation. Opponents accuse the AfD of promoting racist policies and views that are incompatible with Germany's democratic values. They argue that the party could threaten the country's constitutional order. Mainstream parties have ruled out working with the AfD under a so-called "firewall" strategy aimed at keeping it out of coalition governments. AfD leaders reject claims that the party opposes Germany's democratic foundations. Earlier this year, the party also won a court injunction ordering Germany's domestic intelligence service to suspend a previous classification of the party as "extremist". At the annual conference, AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected as the party prepares for the upcoming state polls.