Protesters gathered in the German town of Riesa early on Saturday ahead of a two-day conference of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Organizers said they expected over 10,000 people to attend the demonstrations in the town in the eastern state of Saxony.
The AfD conference is part of the party’s campaign for the February 23 Bundestag election, which was called after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.
Polling suggests that the AfD could become the second-largest party in parliament in the election.
What do we know about the anti-AfD protest?
State police said in a statement that the situation was “calm” on Saturday morning.
The start of the event was also reportedly delayed.
Organizers said that participants from 70 cities were set to arrive in over 100 buses.
They said a “small group” was blocking part of a highway near the event.
Protesters also plan to block entrances to the conference venue where the AfD campaign event is to be held.
A helicopter and drones were being used in police operations, according to the statement.
AfD in East Germany
Saxony and a number of other states in eastern Germany are seen as strongholds of the AfD.
In the 2021 federal election, the far-right party took first place in Saxony with 24.6% of the vote, while the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won 17.4%.
In September last year, the AfD managed to become the most voted party in regional elections in Saxony and neighboring Thuringia. However, it did not manage to form government in either state due to a lack of potential coalition partners.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has classified the AfD as a “suspected” far-right extremist organization.
sdi/ab (AFP, AP, dpa, epd)
