Tens of thousands of far-left protesters clash with police in anti-conservative party riots
Tens of thousands of far-left protesters took to the streets and clashed with police. germany city The conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party protested in Erfurt on Saturday.
Videos show police beating agitators with batons and distributing anti-riot ammunition as demonstrators chanted slogans against the country’s conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at a mass political rally.
Police announced that more than 30 thousand people attended the demonstrations. Associated Press (AP)People were seen holding signs saying “Stop the AfD Nazis” and “For Diversity, Against the Nazis.”
‘You’re Destroying Your Countries’: Will Europe Finally Heed Trump’s Warning on Illegal Immigration?
Despite tense clashes captured on video, policeold news sources The demonstrations were “mostly peaceful” and around 100 violations of the law were recorded, mostly resulting from graffiti, he claimed.
Tensions in the Thuringian city of Erfurt come as the opposition Alternative for Germany party rises ahead of all other parties in national opinion polls.
(Getty Images)
The protests coincided with the AfD’s party conference and leadership elections in which the party, the second-largest parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag parliament, re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as party co-chairs.
Mass demonstrations delayed the AfD vote, prompting Chrupalla to criticize the agitators’ method of expressing their dissatisfaction.
Thousands of demonstrators flooded a German city on July 4, 2026, blocking major roads and disrupting public transport in an attempt to shut down the annual congress of the conservative AfD party.
The Oldest Hatred Returns: How It Consumes Europe and Crosses the Atlantic
“There are no peaceful sit-in blockades. There are no democratic roadblocks. There are no gangs of thugs who deserve the harmless ‘civil society’ label.” “These troublemakers are the last resort of our political rivals,” Chrupalla said, according to the AP.
Protesters gather outside the party congress of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in Erfurt, Germany, on Saturday, July 4, 2026.
Chrupalla also accused the protesters of behaving undemocratically. “They believe they have a monopoly on democracy. I say to these demonstrators: This democracy is our democracy as much as it is yours.”
a spokesperson local antifascist group Widesetzen openly claimed that the group’s aim was to disrupt the AfD party congress.
President Aleksandar Vučić: Europe Denigrates Trump, But We See a Friend in Serbia
“The AfD is pursuing fascist policies: It wants mass deportations and terror in the streets. But at the same time, it does not solve a single real problem,” Lena Raupach, a spokeswoman for the broad constituency, told the AP. “It pursues policies that benefit the rich, not ordinary citizens. We want a society where all people have equal opportunities and equal security in broad areas. We want a society based on solidarity.”
While the AfD is fighting accusations of extremism from citizens and centre-left and centre-right politicians in the country’s ruling coalition, it rejects the idea that it is extreme, arguing that it is “used as a political tool by mainstream parties”, according to the AP.
The party has been experiencing a historic surge in popularity in recent years; It aims to garner more than 20% of the national vote in the 2025 federal election and even more in the next election. Some federal polls Make the party the most popular party in the country today.
Click Here to Download Fox News App
“We will win. Maybe soon we will be able to rule the country on our own,” Chrupalla said on Saturday. “This will send the right message to the enemies of democracy who want to prevent our party congress from being held.”
Those who go to the party largely support the conservative movement shaped by the party. President Donald Trump The party shares similar stances with the Trump administration on social, cultural and domestic issues, especially immigration. Perhaps inspired by Trump’s trademark slogan, the one-party conference attendee was seen wearing a “Make Germany Great Again” hat on Saturday.
A man wears a “Make Germany Great Again” hat at the convention center. The national party congress of the AfD will be held at the Erfurt Congress Center on 4 and 5 July.
Original article source: Tens of thousands of far-left protesters clash with police in anti-Tory party riots
