How the State Is Trying to Enable the AfD—and How We Can Defeat It

Since the early morning hours, thousands of activists in Erfurt have been setting up roadblocks to block the AfD party convention. The action coalition „Widersetzen“ alone has brought 230 buses carrying over 10,000 people from all over Germany to block the party convention and use their bodies to prevent AfD members from arriving. Some traveled through the night to support the blockade and report live from the scene on the actions taking place.

Since 6:00 a.m., the „pink finger,“ the „yellow finger,“ and the „colorful finger“ (the „fingers“ are action units of the blockades coming from different directions) have been blocking the AfD’s main access routes, including the A71 highway. In Erfurt itself, activists are blocking the tram tracks. The AfD, for its part, seems to have learned something from its past disasters and some of its members arrived as early as the middle of the night. 

As of 9:00 a.m., when this article was written, there are eight large blockades and several smaller ones. The mood among the activists is good. The police are on site with a massive contingent of over 6,000 officers, water cannons, helicopters, and dogs. The „Pink Finger“ area has already been detained by the police, and the first arrests have been made. However, around 500 activists managed to break through the blockade to make their way toward the city center. 

This scenario shows us both the determination of thousands of people to fight against the AfD and the state’s determination to accommodate the AfD.

The state is clearing the way for the AfD

If the party convention takes place at all, it will only be made possible by massive police violence: buses carrying AfD politicians are being escorted by dozens of police vans and hundreds of police officers. As in Giessen and Riesa, the police are acting brutally with batons and pepper spray. The first water cannons are appearing on the highway. (For more updates, check out our exclusive live ticker in English) It is completely illusory to think that this very same state would........

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