Protests in Riesa: Thousands defend themselves against AfD candidate Weidel!

Von WOM

In a dramatic encounter between protesting and the extremely right alternative for Germany (AfD), thousands gathered in the Saxon city of Riesa. Here the co-chair Alice Weidel was elected as a candidate for chancellor for the upcoming new elections next month. The atmosphere was invited when the demonstrators sounded "No to Nazis" and tried to block access to the controversial assembly.

The protests that the organizers quantified with 12,000 participants led to a massive police operation. The officers had to dissolve the blockages before the AfD delegates, who were made up of around 600 members, were finally able to start their session-but with two hours delay. According to the police, around 8,000 demonstrators were gathered in front of the congress center, while the protesters were driven apart by the police with pepper spray.

a sign against fascism

Maria Schmidt, the spokeswoman for the protesters, said: "Today we protect people's right to live in safety without being afraid of deportation or attack." Her words underlined the determination of the demonstrators to defend Riesa as a place that does not offer space for fascist ideologies. Meanwhile, Weidel praised her party colleagues for opposing the "left mob", and described the demonstrators as "anti-democratic and terrorist".

The AfD, which is in second place in the surveys and attracts about 20 percent of the votes, plans to develop its election program during their two -day congress. A controversial proposal provides for a “remigration”, which means a comprehensive campaign to designate foreigners from Germany. These plans have already caused excitement, especially in view of the intention to dissolve the youth organization young alternative, which was classified as extremist.

political turbulence and power games

In the middle of this political turbulence, Friedrich Merz, the candidate of the conservative Union, is traded as a favorite for the Chancellery. With his party, which is around 30 percent in surveys, he focuses on boosting the stagnant economy of Germany and reducing irregular migration. In a press conference in Hamburg, Merz emphasized the need for a "fundamental change" after the coalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz broke in November

Scholz himself admitted mistakes on Saturday, but emphasized that it was time to look ahead. "Let's fight," he called to his delegates at a party congress in Berlin, where he was officially nominated as a candidate. The political landscape of Germany remains tense and full of challenges, while the AfD continues to polarize and persist against its ideology.

-transmitted by West-Ost-Medien

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OrtRiesa, Deutschland