Massive protest disrupts AfD youth conference in Germany with thousands

A mass demonstration Saturday by many activists from the radical Antifa organization, which President Donald Trump has designated a domestic terrorist organization, delayed the start of a conference of Germany’s right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, a youth wing called Generation Deutschland.

Between 25,000 and 30,000 protesters gathered against the AfD youth congress in Giessen, central Germany, resulting in the largest police contingent (6,000 officers) in the history of the state of Hesse.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel lashed out at protesters at the city’s convention center. “What is happening there – dear leftists, dear extremists, you have to look at yourselves – is something profoundly undemocratic.”

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Two protesters jump over a security barrier while a water cannon is deployed. Several thousand demonstrators protested on Saturday against the creation of a new AfD youth organization. Its predecessor, Junge Alternative, classified as right-wing extremist, disbanded. (Hannes P Albert/photo-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

According to the Associated Press, officers used pepper spray after rocks were thrown at them at one location, police said. They also used water cannons to lift a blockade imposed by around 2,000 protesters after ignoring calls to leave. They did it again Saturday afternoon as a group tried to break through the barriers leading to the city’s convention center. Police said up to 6,000 officers were deployed and 10 to 15 of them were lightly injured.

Former US Ambassador to Germany during the first administration, Richard Grenell, warned on X of 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 American left, they will promote deadly violence while losing public support – and elections. But they will not see their mistakes because the German left receives a lot of support from the media in Germany.

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Boris Rhein, governor of the Christian Democratic Union of the state of Hesse, criticized the attacks on the police and the attempt to torpedo the AfD youth demonstration. “The use of violence and attempts to prevent gatherings through demonstrations can never be democratic means,” Rhein said.

The AfD achieved an impressive second place in the February elections, receiving 20.8% of the vote. However, Germany’s major parties have refused to form a coalition with the AfD because of what they see as its extremist views.

Two protesters jump over a security barrier while a water cannon is deployed. Several thousand demonstrators protested on Saturday against the creation of a new AfD youth organization. Its predecessor, Junge Alternative, classified as right-wing extremist, disbanded. (Hannes P Albert/photo-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

The AfD’s youth division elected Jean-Pascal Hohm, 28, as president. According to a report in German newspaper Die Welt, a local intelligence report cited him as expressing anti-immigrant and nationalist views. “We will fight resolutely for a real change in migration policy that ensures that Germany remains the homeland of Germans,” Hohm said at the start of the conference.

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

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The AfD presents itself as a protest force at a time of low trust in politicians. She first entered the national parliament in 2017, following the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s. Reducing migration remains her signature theme, but she has also shown a knack for capitalizing on discontent over other issues. This was reflected in the leaders’ confident tone on Saturday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.