Thousands protest, clash with police at AfD meeting

Thousands of protesters clashed with police in the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday, July 4, as they attempted to disrupt the national convention of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The demonstrations, which police estimated drew around 15,000 people, saw protesters sitting in rows to block highways and roads leading to the convention center where the party is holding its two-day annual meeting to elect its leadership.

The AfD is expected to re-elect its co-leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have run the party together for four years. The convention has drawn heightened controversy due to its timing, coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of a Nazi Party meeting held nearby that consolidated Adolf Hitler's power. Historians and political opponents have said the timing carries powerful symbolism, an accusation the AfD rejects.

Protesters, drawn from unions, civil society groups, and left-wing parties, aimed to voice their opposition to the party's rise. A spokesperson for an anti-AfD umbrella group, Widersetzen (Resist), stated the demonstrations were intended to show that fascism would not be tolerated in Germany. Large numbers of police,...