Thousands of Germans took to the streets in protest against the rise of the AfD, which is now openly displaying its ambition to govern.

Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in Erfurt, eastern Germany, to protest against the annual congress of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party that has been gaining ground in the polls. The demonstrators blocked several roads leading to the party's meeting venue.

According to police, approximately 15,000 people participated in the rallies organized by trade unions, civil society organizations, and left-wing parties. A significant security presence, reinforced by police officers from various regions of the country, was deployed to manage the demonstrations and ensure the smooth running of the two-day congress.

Despite these protests, the AfD re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as its leaders, the two figures who oversaw the party's rise on the national political scene. Under their leadership, the AfD became the leading political force in several opinion polls, ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives.

In their opening speeches, party leaders denounced the protests, calling them anti-democratic, while asserting that the AfD represented Germany's last chance to revive the country. Alice Weidel stated that a growing number of voters supported the party in what she presented as a fight against the country's "decline" and in defense of its identity.

This congress comes just months before important regional elections in eastern Germany, where the AfD hopes to make historic gains and win, for the first time, the leadership of a state. The election is considered a major test for the party, whose rise continues to spark heated debate in the country.