On Saturday, a mass demonstration led by Antifa activists, an organization labeled as a domestic terrorist group by President Donald Trump, caused delays at a conference for Generation Deutschland, the youth wing of the right-wing populist German party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 protesters gathered to oppose the AfD youth event in Giessen, a central German city. This prompted the deployment of the largest police force in Hesse’s history, involving 6,000 officers.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel criticized the protesters at the convention center, stating, “What is being done out there—dear left-wingers, dear extremists, you need to look at yourselves—is something that is deeply undemocratic.”

The event saw some demonstrators leap over crash barriers as a water cannon was deployed. Thousands of protesters showed their disapproval of the creation of a new AfD youth group on Saturday. This move came after its predecessor, Junge Alternative, disbanded following its classification as a right-wing extremist organization. (Hannes P Albert/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Two demonstrators jump over a crash barrier while a water cannon is deployed. Several thousand demonstrators protested against the founding of a new AfD youth organization on Saturday. Its predecessor, Junge Alternative, which had been classified a right-wing extremist, had dissolved itself. (Hannes P Albert/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

According to The Associated Press, officers used pepper spray after stones were thrown at them at one location, police said. They also used water cannons to clear a blockade by about 2,000 protesters after they ignored calls to leave. They did so again Saturday afternoon as a group tried to break through barriers toward the city’s convention center. Police said up to 6,000 officers were deployed, and 10 to 15 were slightly injured.

The former U.S. ambassador to Germany during the first administration, Richard Grenell, warned on X about the dangers of the anti-democratic left in the Federal Republic of Germany. 

He wrote, “The intolerant and violent Left is gaining ground in Germany. If they follow the U.S. left then they will promote deadly violence while also losing public support — and elections. But they won’t see the errors of their ways because the German left gets lots of support from the media in Germany. It’s publicly funded, too. The conservative media is small and timid — but growing fast.”

Boris Rhein, the Christian Democratic Union governor of the state of Hesse, criticized the attacks on police and the attempt to torpedo the AfD youth event.

“The use of violence and attempts to prevent assemblies through marches can never be democratic means,” said Rhein.

The AfD scored an impressive second place election result in February, securing 20.8% of the vote. However, the mainstream German parties refused to form a coalition with the AfD because of what they said were its extremist views.

Police and demonstrators, including Antifa members, clash on a road near the Lahnbrücke bridge. Several thousand demonstrators protested against the founding of a new AfD youth organization Saturday. Nov. 29, 2025. (Lando Hass/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

The youth division of the AfD elected 28-year-old Jean-Pascal Hohm as its chairman. According to an article in the German paper Die Welt, a local intelligence report quoted him as expressing anti-immigrant and nationalist views. 

“We will fight resolutely for a genuine shift in migration policy that ensures Germany remains the homeland of Germans,” Hohm said at the start of the conference.

The creation of Generation Deutschland unfolded after Germany’s federal intelligence agency classified the previous AfD youth chapter, Young Alternative, as an “extremist organization” in 2023, resulting in its dissolution.

AfD portrays itself as an anti-establishment force at a time of low trust in politicians. It first entered the national parliament in 2017 following the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s. Curbing migration remains its signature theme, but it has shown a talent for capitalizing on discontent about other issues too. That was reflected in leaders’ confident tone Saturday.