
Thousands of demonstrators protested against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Saturday, obstructing roads and delaying the start of its convention, The Associated Press reported.
The event marked the beginning of campaign season ahead of Germany’s elections next month.
In Riesa, Saxony—a stronghold of AfD—a significant police presence was deployed. Officers cleared protesters from the streets, but the convention started over two hours late as blockades disrupted delegates’ travel.
During the two-day convention, AfD officially nominated co-leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor. Weidel, who was among those delayed by the protests, thanked delegates for “defying the left-wing mob and getting here”, as she put it.
AfD is polling at around 20% ahead of the February 23 election, placing it in second place. However, Weidel’s chances of becoming chancellor remain slim, as other political parties refuse to form a coalition with AfD.
This week, Weidel hosted a live chat with tech billionaire Elon Musk on his X platform, where Musk expressed his support for the party.
Germany’s conservative Union bloc leads in the polls with approximately 30%, with its candidate Friedrich Merz favored to become the next chancellor. The Union’s campaign is focused on reviving Germany’s stagnant economy and reducing irregular migration.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose Social Democrats are polling at 14-17%, is hoping for a comeback. Speaking at a party convention in Berlin, Scholz acknowledged past mistakes, saying, “Maybe I should also have ended the coalition earlier.”
However, he urged supporters to focus on the future, telling them, “Let’s fight.” Scholz also accused the Union of favoring policies that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the budget.
AfD, which was formed in 2013, entered Germany’s national parliament with 12.6% of the vote in 2017.
The party has a history of controversial statements, particularly surrounding the Holocaust. The party’s leader, Björn Höcke, caused a firestorm in February of 2017 when he suggested that Germany should end its decades-long tradition of acknowledging and atoning for its Nazi past.
AfD chairman Alexander Gauland in 2018 described the Nazi period as a mere "speck of bird poo in over 1,000 years of successful German history".
He had previously asserted, however, that Jews should not fear the strong election showing by AfD and indicated that he was ready to meet with German Jewish leaders “at any time.”
In December, AfD announced its decision to dissolve and replace its youth wing, the Junge Alternative ("Young Alternative"), which has been classified as an extremist group by German intelligence services.
Members of the party’s youth wing, mostly aged 16 to 30, have faced accusations of using racist chants and associating with neo-Nazi groups.
In April 2023, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) designated the Junge Alternative as an extremist organization, labeling it xenophobic and warning it could adopt "non-peaceful behavior" toward people perceived as foreign.