Organisers of the left-wing radical alliance Widersetzen (‘Resist’) have refused to condemn attacks on right-wing journalists following large-scale demonstrations held during the Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) federal party congress in Erfurt.
More than 31,000 people took part in protests across the Thuringian capital on the weekend, which were organised to disrupt the AfD’s congress and block participants from attending.
Despite the protests, the congress began on time after many AfD delegates arrived at the venue during the early hours of Saturday morning under heavy police protection. Addressing delegates, AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla mocked the protesters, saying that “the early bird catches the worm.”
At a press conference following the demonstrations, Widersetzen spokesperson Noa Sander rejected calls to condemn assaults on reporters covering the protests. Asked about attacks on right-wing journalists, Sander replied that the alliance had come to Erfurt “to block fascists” and argued that “fascists with press credentials are still fascists.”
The comments came after several journalists reported being assaulted during the demonstrations. According to police, reporters from the conservative newspaper Junge Freiheit and the news outlet Apollo News were attacked, while a team from Bavarian public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk was also reportedly harassed.
Masked individuals attacked a Junge Freiheit reporting team, punching one journalist in the face and stealing his mobile phone, which was later recovered. In a separate incident, three Apollo News reporters were chased and assaulted, leaving two with bruises. One journalist was kicked in the head after falling to the ground.
Authorities recorded 65 criminal offences during the weekend, including assaults on police officers and media representatives. Although thousands of officers had to be deployed, police described the overall protests as “predominantly peaceful.”
Ahead of the congress, an internal police threat assessment had warned that around 2,500 left-wing extremists were expected to participate alongside much larger crowds of demonstrators. The assessment cautioned that militants could blend into otherwise peaceful protests.
During Sunday’s press conference, organisers also warned that the centre-right CDU and the left-wing nationalist Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) could become future targets if they assist the AfD in gaining power.
BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht criticised the alliance’s rhetoric, describing its actions as “deeply undemocratic.”
Although Widersetzen acknowledged that its primary objective of preventing the AfD congress had failed, the alliance vowed further action ahead of September’s state elections.
One of those elections will be held in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD is so far ahead of the other parties in the polls that it has a chance for the first time ever in its history to form a government.
Germany’s established parties have become increasingly alarmed by the right-wing, anti-immigration party’s electoral success, and are already taking undemocratic steps to undermine it in the eventuality that the party does come to power.
