On Saturday, the streets of Erfurt, a city in Germany, were inundated with tens of thousands of far-left demonstrators expressing their opposition to the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The protests led to fierce clashes with police forces.
Video footage captures the scene as police used batons and anti-riot equipment to hold back the crowds. Meanwhile, the demonstrators’ chants echoed their discontent with the AfD party during this significant political rally.
According to the Associated Press (AP), police reported an attendance of over 30,000 people at the protests. Many in the crowd brandished signs with slogans such as “Stop AfD Nazis” and “For Diversity, Against Nazis.”
Despite the intense scenes captured on video, a police spokesperson assured news outlets that the protests remained “mostly peaceful.” They noted that around 100 violations were recorded, predominantly involving graffiti.
The confrontation in Erfurt, located in Thuringia state, comes as the Alternative for Germany party experiences a surge in national polls, surpassing other political parties. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP via Getty Images)
The protests coincided with AfD’s party conference and leadership elections during which the party, the second largest parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag parliament, re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as the party co-leaders.
The mass demonstrations delayed AfD’s vote, prompting Chrupalla to criticize the method in which agitators expressed their dissatisfaction.
Thousands of demonstrators flooded a German city on July 4, 2026, blocking major roads and disrupting public transport, in a bid to shut down the annual congress of the conservative AfD party. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP via Getty Images)
“There are no peaceful seated blockades. There are no democratic roadblocks. Nor are there any gangs of thugs who deserve the harmless label ‘civil society.’ These troublemakers are the last resort of our political rivals,” Chrupalla said, according to the AP.
Protesters gather before a party convention of Alternative for Germany, or AfD in Erfurt, Germany, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Chrupalla also accused the protesters of acting anti-democratically. “They believe they have a monopoly on democracy. To these demonstrators I say: this democracy is just as much our democracy as it is yours.”
A spokesperson for local antifascist group widersetzen explicitly claimed that the group’s intention was to block AfD’s party convention.
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“The AfD pursues fascist policies: It wants mass deportations and terror on the streets. At the same time, however, it doesn’t solve a single real problem,” widersetzen spokesperson Lena Raupach told the AP. “It pursues policies that benefit the rich, not ordinary citizens. And we at widersetzen want a society in which all people have equal opportunities and equal security. We want a society based on solidarity.”
AfD, while fighting accusations of extremism from citizens and center-left and center-right politicians in the country’s ruling coalition, rejects the notion that it is extreme, arguing it is “being used as a political instrument by mainstream parties,” according to the AP.
The party has been experiencing a historic surge in popularity in recent years, grabbing over 20% of the national vote in federal elections in 2025 with an eye on capturing even more in the next election. Some federal polls have the party ranked as the most popular in the country today.
“We will win. Maybe we’ll be able to govern alone soon,” Chrupalla said Saturday. “That would send the right message to the enemies of democracy out there who wanted to prevent our party convention from taking place.”
Partygoers widely support the conservative moment fashioned by President Donald Trump and the party shares similar stances on social, cultural and domestic issues as the Trump administration, particularly on immigration. Perhaps inspired by Trump’s trademark slogan, one party conference attendee Saturday could be seen sporting a “Make Germany Great Again” hat.
A man is wearing a “Make Germany Great Again” cap at the convention center. The AfD’s national party convention will take place on July 4 and 5 at the Erfurt Convention Center. (Martin Schutt/picture alliance via Getty Images)