Mass Anti-Conservative Protests Turn Violent as Tens of Thousands Clash With Police

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Erfurt, Germany, on Saturday, where protests against the conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party led to confrontations with police.

Video from the scene showed officers using batons and riot-control measures as crowds chanted slogans opposing the AfD during the large political demonstration.

Police said more than 30,000 people joined the protests, according to the Associated Press. Demonstrators were seen carrying signs with messages including “Stop AfD Nazis” and “For Diversity, Against Nazis.”

Although footage captured tense moments between protesters and law enforcement, police told media outlets the demonstrations were “mostly peaceful.” Authorities said they recorded roughly 100 alleged violations, most of them related to graffiti.

The protests were held as the AfD gathered for its party conference and leadership elections. During the meeting, the party — currently the second-largest parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag — re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as co-leaders.

The scale of the demonstrations caused delays to the AfD vote, with Chrupalla criticizing the way protesters chose to express their opposition.

“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.

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.