AfD conference in Erfurt met by mass protests as Weidel, Chrupalla confirmed

AfD gathers in Erfurt under heavy security

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) opened its two-day party conference in Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia, on Saturday, 4 July 2026, under significant security restrictions. Al Jazeera reported that an estimated 20,000 protesters filled the city centre, with German police counting more than 200 buses of demonstrators arriving in the city. According to Al Jazeera, protesters from unions, civil society groups and left-wing parties blocked roads leading to the conference venue, with some abseiling from a motorway bridge and others staging sit-in blockades around the city centre.

Large numbers of police, including reinforcements from across Germany, were deployed in advance of the meeting. Media reports cited by Al Jazeera said some protesters clashed with police in riot gear, but most AfD delegates still managed to reach the hall, where party representatives said the congress began on time despite the disruption.

Weidel and Chrupalla confirmed, but with contrasting margins

Deutsche Welle reported that delegates confirmed Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla in their roles as co-leaders of the party. Weidel, who hails from western Germany, secured 81% of the vote, consolidating her position at the top of the party. Chrupalla, from eastern Germany, won 70% — a sharp drop from the 83% he received two years ago. According to DW, the result could fuel renewed debate within the party over whether to retain its dual-leadership structure. Under AfD bylaws, a single-leader model would also be permitted.

A keynote built around deportation and a challenge to Merz

In her address, Weidel launched a pointed attack on Germany’s conservative bloc, made up of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). According to DW, Weidel accused conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz of announcing reforms he had no intention of delivering. She then told delegates: “We will carry out rigorous deportations!” — a line that drew loud applause from the hall.

Chrupalla, for his part, focused on the party’s ambitions for power. DW reported that he described the AfD as having evolved into a mainstream “people’s party,” adding: “We want to govern — and we will govern — first at the state level, then nationally.”

A protester’s message and the call for a ban

The protests were organised by an anti-AfD umbrella group called Widersetzen, or “Resist.” Georg Becker, a spokesperson for the alliance, told Reuters, as cited by Al Jazeera: “We want to make it clear that we simply won’t tolerate this, that fascism is on the rise here in Germany.” Noa Sander, another spokesperson, told AFP, also cited by Al Jazeera: “The AfD wants mass deportations and ethnic cleansing. It should be banned. We intend to do this by blockading their party conference and standing in the way of the AfD, its policies and members wherever they appear, making sure they have no place in society.”

A musical disruption inside the hall

The leadership vote was briefly interrupted by an apparent musical protest. DW reported that trumpet blasts and snatches of the “Imperial March” — the Star Wars theme associated with the villain Darth Vader — echoed intermittently through the hall as balloting took place. The source of the disruption was not immediately clear, and security personnel spent roughly half an hour searching the venue with sniffer dogs before locating a Bluetooth speaker hidden behind the podium.

Höcke ally promoted to a security-focused role

The conference also saw Stefan Möller, described by DW as a close associate of firebrand Björn Höcke, promoted to the position of the AfD’s deputy federal spokesperson. Möller will be responsible for legal disputes between the AfD and the domestic security services. According to DW, he boasted that the security services have a “thick file” on him.

AfD’s national position and the Saxony-Anhalt test

Al Jazeera reported that the AfD became the second-largest party in federal elections last year, scoring the best result for a far-right party in Germany since World War II. Opinion polls have since opened a clear lead over Chancellor Merz’s conservatives, partially driven by years of economic stagnation. The party appears likely to take power at the state level for the first time in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, which could pave the way for further success nationally.

Reporting from Saxony-Anhalt for Al Jazeera, Dominic Kane said the latest polls in the state put the AfD at about 42% — a level that could give the party an absolute majority. “It would mark the first time that a far-right party had won control of a German state in a free and fair election since the Nazis did in 1932 and it would send shockwaves through this country and beyond,” he said.

Why the mainstream parties keep their distance

Despite the AfD’s rise, all mainstream German parties have ruled out cooperating with it over what they describe as “anti-democratic” and “extremist” views, Al Jazeera reported. The party has also been monitored by the domestic intelligence agency for several years on suspicion of anti-constitutional activities. Among the protesters in Erfurt, the principal demand, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting, was that the party be banned.

Merz’s parallel message from Düsseldorf

On the same day, Chancellor Merz addressed a regional CDU conference in Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. According to DW, Merz told party members: “Germany’s best years are not behind us: If we get it right, we have some very good years ahead of us.” He added: “We are proving that the political center can find solutions, work out compromises and also reform the country. Step by step, we are proving that we are a genuine reform coalition for Germany.”

DW noted that Merz was not expected to attend the conference in North Rhine-Westphalia, and that his last-minute appearance was seen as an attempt to unite the CDU following a recent split. During recent contentious economic reform talks, speculation grew that the CDU had lined up NRW State Premier Hendrik Wüst as chancellor-in-waiting, should Merz fail to deliver. North Rhine-Westphalia is to hold elections early next year, according to DW.

What to watch next

Two near-term dates are likely to frame the political fallout from Erfurt. The first is the Saxony-Anhalt state election, where the AfD’s polling has put it within striking distance of an absolute majority. The second is the internal AfD debate over its dual-leadership model, which DW said Chrupalla’s weaker vote tally could reignite. Any formal change to that structure would require amending the party’s bylaws at a future congress.