GIESSEN: A meeting to launch the new youth wing of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was delayed on Saturday for more than two hours as protesters blocked access to the venue. Thousands of anti-AfD protesters began descending on the central town of Giessen near Frankfurt from the early morning, with police also out in force. The meeting had been due to start at 1000 local time but only got underway after 1200, accompanied by audible whistles, drums and chants from the protesters outside.
One of the protest organisations, "Resist", said that it blocked several routes towards the meeting and had gathered 15,000 people. The party's co-leader Alice Weidel condemned those who had caused "chaos" outside and said those gathered in the hall were "the new generations of the party".
The anti-immigration AfD became Germany's main opposition at February's general election in which it won a record score of over 20 per cent and hopes to make further gains at state elections next year in its eastern heartlands. — AFP
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