Thousands of protesters marched through the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday in opposition to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as the party convened its annual conference and reaffirmed its leadership ahead of crucial regional elections.
Police estimated that around 15,000 demonstrators, including trade unions, civil society organisations and left-wing groups, took part in the protests. Some activists blocked roads leading to the conference venue, prompting a heavy security presence with officers deployed from across Germany.
During the conference, delegates overwhelmingly re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as the party's co-leaders. Under their leadership, the AfD has surged in national opinion polls and is seeking its first opportunity to lead regional governments in upcoming elections in eastern Germany.
In her address, Weidel described the AfD as Germany's "last chance" to reverse the country's decline, pledging tougher immigration policies and stricter deportation measures for illegal migrants and convicted criminals.
Chrupalla told supporters that the party's goal was to move from regional success to national power, expressing confidence that the AfD would eventually form part of Germany's government.
The party's annual gathering comes ahead of regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the AfD is expected to perform strongly.
Founded in 2013, the AfD has built its popularity on nationalist policies, opposition to mass immigration and criticism of Germany's political establishment. Recent opinion polls place the party among the country's most popular political forces.
Despite its growing support, the AfD continues to face strong opposition from mainstream political parties, which have ruled out cooperating with it under Germany's so-called "firewall" policy. Critics accuse the party of promoting extremist and anti-democratic ideas, allegations the AfD firmly denies.
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