Thousands Protest As Germany’s Far-Right AfD Holds Party Conference In Erfurt

Thousands of demonstrators blocked roads leading to a two-day AfD party conference in the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday, as the far-right party re-elected its leadership ahead of key regional elections.

Party Re-Elects Leaders Amid Rising Poll Numbers

The Alternative for Germany, known as AfD, opened its conference by re-electing co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have guided the party’s rise to the top of national polling ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc. Recent surveys put AfD support as high as 29%, compared to around 22% for Merz’s CDU/CSU. The party’s strongest backing comes from the former East Germany, where voter frustration with mainstream parties runs highest.

Large Police Presence As Protesters Block Roads

Police estimated around 15,000 people joined demonstrations in and around Erfurt, with protesters from unions, civil society groups and left-leaning parties sitting in rows to block highways leading to the convention center. Officers in riot gear, including reinforcements from across the country, were deployed ahead of the event. A spokesperson for the anti AfD group Widersetzen said organizers wanted to make clear that rising nationalism would not be tolerated.

Hardline Rhetoric On Immigration

Weidel told attendees the party represents the country’s “last chance” against decline, while a song referencing deportation played on AfD’s social media before the conference began. Party figure Bjoern Hoecke, viewed as one of its more hardline voices, mixed nostalgic imagery with criticism of Germany’s current state during his remarks.

Regional Elections Loom As Key Test

The conference comes ahead of elections in Saxony Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, seen as a potential stepping stone toward stronger national influence. Mainstream parties have maintained a so called “firewall” ruling out cooperation with the AfD, which they accuse of promoting policies incompatible with Germany’s democratic system. AfD leaders reject that characterization and recently won a court order suspending a prior classification of the party as extremist by domestic intelligence services.