Several thousand demonstrators gathered in eastern Germany on Saturday under the slogan “No to the Nazis!” delayed the start of the congress of the far-right AfD party organized for the legislative elections, AFP journalists noted.
The demonstrators converge on the congress center in Riesa, a town located between Leipzig and Dresden, where the far-right group is meeting all weekend to adopt its electoral program.
Police said they expected about 10,000 demonstrators, describing a generally calm gathering but “dynamic” spots where demonstrators attempted to force blockades.
The various convoys set up by the organizers disrupt access to the town of some 30,000 inhabitants in order to prevent the 600 party delegates from reaching the meeting place.
Shortly before 12:00 local time (11:00 GMT), the congress was delayed and was unable to start, according to an AFP journalist and images broadcasting the event.
“Our protest is effective – the AfD federal congress cannot begin,” the Widersetzen (“Resist”) action group, which is coordinating the mobilization, declared on the X network.
Organizers reported the use of pepper spray and beatings by police against groups of demonstrators.
“Today we fill the streets of Riesa with diversity, solidarity and openness and we gather en masse in front of the entrances to the AfD congress,” adds Widersetzen.
Among the thousands of demonstrators gathered in the bitter cold, shouting “No to the Nazis”, Julia told AFP she had come to denounce a party synonymous with “exclusion, discriminatory behavior, hatred and agitation” .
“We want to show very clearly that we are the majority, that we are in favor of opening borders, of a united society, of a society of the greatest number,” added this young girl in her twenties. years who does not want to give his last name.
In Riesa, AfD delegates will confirm the candidacy of their co-president, Alice Weidel, as candidate for the chancellery and adopt a road map which includes an exit from the EU and the euro as well as a hard line on migration policy.
The AfD is credited by polls with second place in the elections of February 23, with a score between 18 to 21% of the votes, behind the conservatives of the CDU/CSU camp around 30% but ahead of the social democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz around 16% and the Greens at 13%. Both the right and the left have ruled out allying with the extreme right.
