Some 3,000 people took part in a protest action against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Saturday in the city of Erfurt, capital of the state of Thuringia, the day before the election to the regional parliament there.
A demonstration march, called for by the alliance “Auf die Plätze” (On Your Marks), made its way through the city centre to the main Cathedral Square, or Domplatz, where the AfD – which is riding high in the opinion polls – held its rally to mark the end of the election campaign.
The AfD attracted some 1,300 supporters, municipal officials told dpa. Alongside local firebrand AfD member and top candidate Björn Höcke, the party’s federal chairwoman Alice Weidel was also on hand.
In end, the AfD and the “On Your Marks” rallies were about 100 metres apart in Erfurt’s city centre.
The police were out in force to keep the two camps apart.
Local police had drafted in support from officers from the states of Hesse, Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a spokesman said.
No notable incidents were reported during either gathering.
Weidel says AfD could make history
A new state parliament is due to be elected in Thuringia on Sunday following a heated election campaign.
Weidel told the demonstrators, who made themselves heard with whistles and chants, that the AfD would “ban Antifa as a terrorist organization” if it came into government.
On Sunday, the AfD could make history in Thuringia and neighbouring Saxony and in a few weeks in Brandenburg if it wins the election, said Weidel. All three states were part of the former East Germany.
“Let’s turn the east blue so that everyone experiences a blue miracle,” she said, referring to the traditional colour of her party. In German “a blue miracle’ is a term for a nasty surprise, or the shock of one’s life.
AfD supporters repeatedly chanted “East, East, East Germany,” but also “deport, deport.” Höcke accused the other parties of having “lost the people.” The AfD could “write history” on Sunday, he asserted.
Counterdemonstrators chant “Nazisout”
The counterdemonstrators shouted “Nazis out” or “Höcke out.” According to the police, several participants in that rally were wearing masks. This was in breach of the Assembly Act. Some of those affected removed their masks after the police spoke to them.
“We will not allow the AfD to dominate the election weekend with their extreme right-wing agitation, intimidate people and misuse our city as a stage for their propaganda,” stated the alliance.
Already a week ago, thousands had taken to the streets in Erfurt to protest right-wing extremism and a shift to the right in politics.
The latest election polls in Thuringia have shown little movement in the values of the individual parties: The AfD was ahead with values between 29% and 30%, followed with a significant gap by the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the new populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), and the hard-left Die Linke (The Left).
A total of 1.66 million Thuringians are eligible to vote in the state election on Sunday.
