Video: watson/nina bürge
The AfD is holding its party conference in Erfurt this weekend. Protests broke out early in the morning. The police are expecting up to 50,000 demonstrators. A highway was temporarily blocked.
Jul 4, 2026, 9:41 amJuly 4, 2026, 3:11 p.m
People are protesting against the AfD.Image: keystone
The AfD party conference in Erfurt, Thuringia is accompanied by massive protests. More than 30 counter-events were registered in advance, reports t online. The police expect up to 50,000 people. Shortly after 9 a.m., the police reported 20,000 demonstrators. More than 200 coaches had already arrived at 6 a.m., and more demonstrators had come on foot.
There are currently around 20,000 participants.
Protest is legitimate. That’s why we deal with blockades in the city and surrounding areas in a meeting-friendly and communicative manner. Evictions only take place if several discussions to resolve the situation are unsuccessful.
New blockages:
…— Police Thuringia (@Polizei_Thuer) July 4, 2026
The protests started early. In downtown Erfurt, several hundred people gathered on Gothaer Platz before 5 a.m. and blocked traffic. They also stuck to tram tracks.
Blocked tram tracks in Erfurt.Image: keystone
The location is considered the core of the counter-demonstration and is located near the exhibition center where the AfD is holding its party conference.
Hundreds of people gathered in Erfurt early in the morning.Image: keystone
In addition, Autobahn 71 had to be closed for safety reasons, the police reported. Protesters reportedly blocked the highway.
Demonstrators have blocked the highway in several places.Image: Keystone
According to the police, the first blockades were only ended after lunch by the participants themselves.
Video: watson/nina bürge
There are also said to have been minor riots. Pepper spray has already been used against demonstrators. On In addition, two journalists were injured by bottles being thrown.
The first blockades on the A71 were ended by the participants themselves. Several thousand people are still on the motorway – there are significant traffic delays.
Getting to the airport difficult:
1. Alternative route from Gotha: B7 to Gamstädt –… pic.twitter.com/hF6eXu6wux— Police Thuringia (@Polizei_Thuer) July 4, 2026
In the afternoon, the police finally reported around 31,000 people in and around the city. Other participants are still on the way.
The party conference still started on time
The party conference still started as planned at 10 a.m. The first delegates were on site hours beforehand. Above all, elections are planned: AfD chairmen Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are standing for re-election, and the party executive board will also be re-elected.
The federal party conference started as planned. The delegates were able to reach the fair without any major obstacles.
There are still many meetings in and around Erfurt. What should be highlighted positively is that escape routes were kept clear during sit-ins. Thank you for that!
Through the…
— Police Thuringia (@Polizei_Thuer) July 4, 2026
During his welcome speech, Chrupalla rejected reports of rivalries at the top of the party, particularly between him and co-chair Alice Weidel. He said: “Our party is united like never before.” It was good that the party conference delegates went to the Erfurt trade fair before the counter-demonstrations began. “The early bird catches the worm. The Antifa rioters missed their own disruptive maneuver,” said Chrupalla.
AfD party conference 100 years after the Nazi party conference
But it’s not just the protesters in Erfurt’s streets who are heavily criticized. On the occasion of the AfD federal party conference in Erfurt, the head of the Buchenwald Memorial, Jens-Christian Wagner, commemorated the Nazi party conference of the NSDAP exactly 100 years ago in Weimar. “The timing and choice of location are certainly not a coincidence,” said Wagner at a protest against the AfD federal party conference in Erfurt.
With the decision to hold the party conference in Erfurt, the AfD is sending a “very clear signal”. The AfD is at least not yet the “NSDAP 2.0”. “But their reference to ethnic, authoritarian-nationalist ideas of the 20s and 30s is becoming increasingly clear and their attempt to downplay and reinterpret the crimes of the Nazis,” said Wagner.
Legal back and forth
After some legal back and forth, the Higher Administrative Court confirmed the ban on demonstrations on some access roads in the vicinity of the AfD federal party conference. The Higher Administrative Court announced that it had upheld a complaint by the state of Thuringia against another decision by the Weimar Administrative Court (3 EO 283/26).
The background is a general decree. It regulates that access roads to the AfD conference venue, including Gothaer and Eisenacher Strasse, as well as individual motorway sections, are closed to demonstrations. It was issued to allow AfD delegates access to the party conference. The background was announcements that they wanted to prevent the party conference by blocking the streets.
The Higher Administrative Court overturned a decision by the Weimar Administrative Court. At the request of a local politician from the Green Party, it had withdrawn the general decree because, in his opinion, it was aimed at banning even peaceful gatherings. The protesting organizations had already announced that they did not want to adhere to it. (vro/cpf/sda/dpa)
The police are on site with a large contingent.Image: keystone