The German city of Giessen saw huge disruption on Saturday as thousands of far-left protesters tried to block the AfD from launching its new youth wing—forcing the meeting to be delayed and triggering a major police operation across the city.
Extreme left-wing groups began arriving early in the morning, with police warning of coordinated attempts to obstruct access to the venue. One group, “Resist,” openly boasted that it had blocked several routes and claimed to have gathered 15,000 supporters. In total, 23 separate rallies had been registered, and authorities expected around 50,000 protesters to descend on the city.
Clashes broke out as the morning went on. Police reported a large group trying to break through a cordon at a nearby substation, leaving one officer injured. Emergency calls increased as vehicles and streetlights were damaged and emergency personnel attacked. Officers from Hesse and several other states—around 6,000 in total—were deployed to keep roads clear.
The AfD’s founding congress for its new youth organisation was supposed to begin at 10 a.m., but by 11:30 it still hadn’t started because many delegates were unable to reach the hall. “Proceedings have not yet started due to the protests,” AfD spokesman Michael Pfalzgraf told AFP.
Inside the venue, stalls offered merchandise, mugs, T-shirts and protein powder as delegates waited for the delayed meeting to get underway. Once the session begins, they are expected to choose the youth wing’s leaders, statutes, name and logo—with “Generation Deutschland” and “Youth Germania” among the options.
The new movement replaces the now-dissolved Junge Alternative. Its likely first leader is 28-year-old AfD state lawmaker Jean-Pascal Hohm.
Many AfD supporters said the launch could not come soon enough. Electrician Kevin Potthast told AFP he attended because “the country is in a bad way and something has to change,” adding that young people are key to the future.
Far-left protesters gathered outside claimed they were demonstrating for “diversity,” with some saying they refused to be intimidated by “fear or by hatred.”
One motion to be voted on declares that the youth organisation should “neither blindly follow the parent party nor serve as a lapdog” for the AfD’s federal or state leadership.
Local CDU MP Johannes Volkmann condemned the unrest, saying: “In my hometown, far-left extremists are taking the law into their own hands. It’s high time these gangs were outlawed.”
Police said further updates would follow as the situation developed.
