Thousands Protest AfD Congress in Germany, Blocking Access

Thousands of protesters gathered in Erfurt, Germany, to demonstrate against the annual congress of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Unions, civil society groups, and left-wing parties called for the protest, with demonstrators blocking roads to impede delegates from accessing the venue.

Police estimated that approximately 15,000 people participated in the demonstrations in and around Erfurt. Reinforcements were deployed to the city ahead of the two-day congress, and riot police maintained a strong security presence. Protesters engaged in sit-ins on several roads and highway access points, disrupting traffic.

Georg Becker, a spokesperson for the anti-AfD platform "Widersetzen," stated that the actions were aimed at opposing the rise of the far-right. "We want to clearly show that we will not tolerate the rise of fascism in Germany," Becker said.

The congress is seen as politically significant, especially with state elections approaching in eastern Germany. The AfD aims to gain power at the state level for the first time, building on increased support attributed to its hardline stance on immigration, nationalist rhetoric, and appeals to voters concerned about economic stagnation. Recent polls suggest the AfD's support in Germany has surpassed that of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc, with some polls showing AfD support as high as 29% compared to the CDU/CSU's approximately 22%. Support is particularly strong in former East German states, where AfD's backing has reached 41% in some polls, compared to 23% for the Christian Democrats.

Critics accuse the AfD of promoting racist policies and deviating from Germany's democratic values. Mainstream parties continue to uphold a "firewall" strategy, refusing to form coalitions with the AfD to isolate it politically. The AfD leadership denies accusations of being anti-democratic, and the party recently secured a court ruling temporarily suspending the domestic intelligence agency's classification of the AfD as "extremist."

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We want to clearly show that we will not tolerate the rise of fascism in Germany.