More than 30,000 people protested in Erfurt against the AfD party convention, which is taking place there this weekend. 

"Most of the protests were peaceful. It's colorful and loud—we can be satisfied," said Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier at the scene.

Germany news: AfD elects leaders amid massive protests

Nik Martin | Darko Janjevic with Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa

Party delegates of the far-right AfD are meeting in Erfurt as tens of thousands of people are protesting the event. Meanwhile, Jürgen Klopp said he was "ready" to jump in as Germany's head coach. DW has more.

Maier is a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party, and Thuringia is the eastern German state where Erfurt is located.   

DW reporter Paul Jäger, who was present at the demonstrations, confirmed this: "People came from all over Germany. They said that simply voting for a different party wasn’t enough for them; they wanted to take a stand for democracy by actively protesting on the ground." 

Nevertheless, he witnessed acts of violence during the numerous protests. Especially around the convention center, where the party convention was held, there was violence against journalists from conservative media outlets and clashes between the left-wing Antifa movement and the police. 

On Sunday, the delegates' meeting of the far-right AfD will come to an end. Unlike at many previous party conventions, this year's focus is on demonstrating unity.

Given the historically high poll numbers and the upcoming elections in three eastern German states in September, the party does not want to display any public differences or provoke new controversies. Most speeches, therefore, refrained from verbal escalations and mutual attacks.

Around 31,000 people took part in protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), outside the party's conference venue in Erfurt, eastern Germany, police said.

Union members, civil society groups and left-wing activists sat in rows to block highways and roads leading to the convention centre where the 2-day conference is happening.

Police reinforcements from across Germany were deployed alongside local officers in case of violence.

Earlier, police said the protests were largely peaceful, although police said they used pepper spray during isolated clashes.

In the later statement, police said it had recorded 16 protests during the day and that around 10,000 people had taken part in the sit-down blockade of several streets in the city.

Some 60 people were arrested, 48 for criminal offenses and 11 for administrative offenses, the statement said.

The police said an investigation has been launched after several journalists were injured during the protests.

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Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz talked up the country's future on Saturday, as multiple geopolitical issues and fierce rivalry from China weigh on economic growth.

Merz told a regional party conference for his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the western city of Düsseldorf that the years ahead could be successful provided the country stays on its reform path.

"Germany's best years are not behind us: If we get it right, we have some very good years ahead of us," he said.

He continued that Germany has achieved a great deal in recent decades and had repeatedly worked its way out of crises.

Merz then told party members that the current challenge must be met with reforms.

"We are proving that the political center can find solutions, work out compromises and also reform the country," said Merz. "Step by step, we are proving that we are a genuine reform coalition for Germany."

Merz wasn't expected to attend the conference in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. His last-minute appearance was seen as an attempt to unite the party following a recent split.

During recent contentious economic reform talks, speculation grew that the CDU had lined up NRW State Premier Hendrik Wüst as chancellor-in-waiting, should Merz fail to deliver.

NRW will hold elections early next year.

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The conference also saw Stefan Möller, a close associate of firebrand Björn Höcke, being promoted to the position of the AfD's deputy federal spokesperson. Möller will be responsible for legal disputes between the AfD and the domestic security services. He boasted that the security services have a "thick file" on him.

The vote for the party’s federal executive board was interrupted by an apparent musical protest. As balloting took place, trumpet blasts and snatches of the "Imperial March" — the Star Wars theme associated with the villain Darth Vader — echoed intermittently through the hall.

The source of the disruption remains unclear. Security personnel spent roughly half an hour searching the venue with sniffer dogs before eventually locating a Bluetooth speaker hidden behind the podium.

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Delegates at the Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) party convention in Erfurt confirmed Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla in their roles as co-leaders.

Weidel, who comes from western Germany, secured 81%  of the vote, consolidating her position at the top of the party. Chrupalla, from eastern Germany, won 70%  — a sharp drop from the 83%  he received two years ago. 

The result could fuel renewed debate within the party over whether to retain its dual-leadership structure. Under AfD bylaws, a single-leader model would also be permitted.

In her address, Weidel launched a pointed attack on Germany's conservative bloc, comprised of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU).

Weidel accused conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz of announcing reforms he had no intention of delivering.

"We will carry out rigorous deportations!" she told delegates, drawing loud applause from the hall.

Chrupalla, for his part, focused on the party’s ambitions for power. He described the AfD as having evolved into a mainstream "people’s party."

"We want to govern — and we will govern — first at the state level, then nationally," Chrupalla said..

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CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

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