STORY: Thousands of opponents of Germany's far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) took to the streets of Erfurt on Saturday (July 4), blocking roads to the party's annual conference ahead of regional elections that could see it take power at state level for the first time.

Protesters from unions, civil society groups and left-wing parties gathered as large numbers of police, including reinforcements from across Germany, were deployed ahead of the AfD's two-day annual conference.

Watched by police in riot gear, protesters sat in rows to block highways and roads leading to the convention centre where the meeting is being held. Police estimated around 15,000 people joined demonstrations in and around the eastern city.

Some estimates before the event had put protest attendance at much higher. Police said as of mid-morning, they had the situation under control.

The conference, where co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected, comes ahead of elections in the eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern that the AfD hopes will help pave the way for success at national level.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: ERFURT, GERMANY (JULY 4, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF LINE OF POLICE MOVING TOWARDS PROTESTERS

2. PROTESTERS WALKING TOWARDS POLICE LINE WITH POLICE YELLING FOR THEM TO STOP, PROTESTERS CLASHING WITH POLICE, PROTESTERS FALLING

3. PROTESTERS GETTING BACK UP

4. POLICE LINE MOVING BACK

5. PROTESTERS GETTING READY TO MARCH AGAIN

6. POLICE OFFICER LOOKING ON

7. PROTESTERS CHEERING AND CHANTING AS THEY CARRY ON WITH MARCH

8. ERFURT CONVENTION CENTRE

9. REPORTER TALKING TO THURINGIA POLICE SPOKESMAN, PATRICK MARTIN

10. (SOUNDBITE) (German) THURINGIA POLICE SPOKESMAN, PATRICK MARTIN, SAYING:

"Yes, so we now have a total of around 15,000 protesters in and around the city of Erfurt. We currently still have several roadblocks."

11. POLICE BADGE ON UNIFORM

12. (SOUNDBITE) (German) THURINGIA POLICE SPOKESMAN, PATRICK MARTIN, SAYING:

"One of the operational objectives was to ensure that the AfD party conference could take place. That has already been achieved, at any rate. We are currently satisfied that this, at least, has already been achieved. We’re also pleased at the moment that everything has remained peaceful so far, and we hope it stays that way. But we'll see what the rest of the day brings."

13. BADGE ON POLICE HAT

14. (SOUNDBITE) (German) THURINGIA POLICE SPOKESMAN, PATRICK MARTIN, SAYING:

"The motorway is indeed still closed; we can’t reopen it to traffic because people are sitting there on the motorway. We’re talking to the people; naturally, we now have to explain the situation to them and will then gradually have to become a little more insistent that they must leave the motorway. But now that they’re also realising that their aim of blocking the AfD party conference is no longer going to work, we assume that sooner or later this will lead to them leaving of their own accord."

15. POLICE CANNON VEHICLE AT CENTRE

16. POLICE AT BARRIER

17. POLICE CANNON VEHICLE AT CENTRE

18. AFD PLACARD INSIDE CONVENTION CENTRE

19. PEOPLE INSIDE CONVENTION CENTRE

20. VARIOUS OF WOMAN WEARING AFD LEOTARD

21. VARIOUS OF AFD STAND WITH VINTAGE-LOOKING CARDS ADVOCATING REMIGRATION

22. VARIOUS OF AFD FANSHOP STAND / INCLUDING STICKER READING (German): We are team Hoecke (Bjoern Hoecke, the leader of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the East German federal state of Thuringia)

23. GENERATION DEUTSCHLAND BANNER

24. PEOPLE AT STAND

25. VARIOUS OF WOMAN HAVING HER HAIR DONE

26. PEOPLE IN CONVENTION CENTRE

27. PROTESTERS RUNNING ACROSS FIELD TO GET TO ROAD

28. VARIOUS OF POLICE ACCOMPANYING PROTESTERS

29. PROTESTER REMOVING BARRIER

30. PROTESTERS WALKING THROUGH OPEN BARRIER

31. POLICE WALKING

32. (SOUNDBITE) (German) NOA SANDER FROM, 'WIDERSETZEN' (RESIST) A BROAD ANTI-FASCIST PROTEST ALLIANCE, SAYING:

"The AfD is a dangerous, fascist party. They want mass deportations, ethnic cleansing and the implementation of a fascist agenda here in these exhibition halls in Erfurt today, and we must not allow that to happen. That is why tens of thousands of people are here with us today – teachers, pupils, students, people from all walks of life – all of whom realise that we must stop the fascist snowball before it turns into an avalanche. And we all clearly share the view that the governing parties, with their policies of social cuts, their policy of rearmament and their racist asylum policy, are playing into the hands of the AfD. They are paving the way for the AfD to slide into fascism."

32. VARIOUS OF ROAD SIGN TO CONVENTION CENTRE

33. PEOPLE MARCHING