Thousands gather in Germany to protest the conference of the far-right Alternative for Germany party | Far-right news

Thousands tried to prevent delegates from attending the meeting in which Alice Weidel was chosen as the AfD’s candidate for chancellor in next month’s elections.

Thousands of demonstrators chanted “No to the Nazis” gathered in the German city of Riesa, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party held a major conference to approve the nomination of co-leader Alice Weidel for chancellor in early elections next month.

Ultimately, the meeting, which included nearly 600 delegates on Saturday, took place two hours later than scheduled after police cleared thousands of protesters who had set up barricades in the AfD stronghold town, located in the eastern state of Saxony.

Protest organizers, who said 12,000 people from across the country took part in the demonstration, said police beat groups of demonstrators and used pepper spray to disperse them.

Maria Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the protest organizers, said: “Today we are protecting people’s right to live in safety without fear of deportation or attack.

“We are all making it clear: Rize is not a peaceful place for fascism,” she said.

Police claimed that about 8,000 protesters gathered outside the city’s convention center. By late morning, a police spokesman said there were “no serious disturbances” but one of the roads leading to Rize remained blocked by protesters.

As the conference took place inside the convention center, Weidel congratulated her party colleagues for “challenging the leftist mob,” while party co-leader Tino Shruppala accused the demonstrators of behaving like “anti-democrats and terrorists.”

“Immigration”

Analysts say Weidel – who this week was backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk in a conversation broadcast live on X – has no realistic chance of becoming Germany’s leader in the February 23 election.

While opinion polls show that the far-right party occupies second place, attracting the support of about 20 percent of voters, other parties have refused to work with it.

The AfD’s two-day meeting will see delegates finalize the party’s election programme, with a proposed amendment committing the party to a policy of “immigration” – that is, a large-scale campaign to expel foreigners from Germany.

Controversy has also been sparked by plans by the party leadership to replace the youth wing of the Jung Alternative Party (“Young Alternative”), which intelligence services have classified as an extremist group.

The draft statement also includes a pledge to leave the euro and reverse Germany’s exit from nuclear power.

“Let’s fight”

Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the main conservative opposition Union bloc, which leads in opinion polls by about 30 percent, is currently likely to become the next chancellor.

The union focuses on strengthening Germany’s stagnant economy and reducing illegal immigration.

At a news conference in Hamburg, Merz focused on bringing about “fundamental change” after the collapse of the divided, unpopular coalition that included center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November.

Schulz’s coalition government collapsed after he sacked his finance minister in a dispute over how to stimulate the economy, triggering early elections.

Schulz acknowledged on Saturday that mistakes had been made, but said it was time to look to the future.

“Let’s fight,” he told delegates at the party’s conference in Berlin, which formally confirmed his candidacy with a show of hands.