Erfurt, August 31, 2024, The Europe Today: On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Erfurt to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is poised for potential victory in at least one of two crucial state elections in eastern Germany.
The protest took place in the capital of Thuringia, where one of the regional parliamentary elections will occur on Sunday. The other election is scheduled in the state of Saxony. The “Auf die Plätze” (On Your Marks) alliance organized the march, with many participants carrying banners and chanting as they made their way through Erfurt’s city center to the main Cathedral Square.
The demonstration coincided with an AfD rally in the same square later in the day, marking the conclusion of the party’s election campaign. The rally featured prominent figures such as local firebrand Björn Höcke and party co-chair Alice Weidel. Höcke, known for his radical views and controversial statements, has been convicted twice for quoting a Nazi slogan in his speeches.
“We will not allow the AfD to dominate the election weekend with its extreme right-wing agitation, intimidate people, and misuse our city as a stage for their propaganda,” the anti-far-right protest alliance stated, according to the DPA news agency.
Similar protests were also held in other eastern cities, including Dresden, Görlitz, and Zwickau.
The AfD is expected to secure around 30% of the vote in Thuringia’s election on Sunday, leading with a significant margin over the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the new left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance BSW, and the socialist Left Party. In Saxony, polls indicate a close race between the AfD and the CDU, with the BSW trailing in third place.
These elections are anticipated to deliver a setback to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and Free Democrats, amid widespread voter dissatisfaction over immigration and economic challenges in eastern Germany compared to the western regions.
Despite the AfD’s potential success, mainstream parties have refused to collaborate with the far-right party, making it unlikely that the AfD will be able to form a coalition in either state even if it emerges victorious on Sunday.
