Antifascist protesters blocked roads and tram lines in Erfurt, Germany, on Saturday as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party began its annual conference.
Thüringen police confirmed the demonstration, which they described as legitimate, involved approximately 20,000 people. The protest was largely peaceful, though authorities reported that an AfD office and police officers were attacked with paint bombs and fireworks.
"We want a society based on solidarity: equal rights, equal security, the right to residence and social security for all," Noa Sander, a spokesperson for the anti-AfD group Widersetzen, told the crowd.
The conference proceeded as scheduled. Party coleaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel are expected to be re-elected as the party positions itself for upcoming local elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The AfD has seen a significant rise in national support, with recent polls showing the Eurosceptic, anti-immigration party at 29%, seven points ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU bloc.