"Generation Germany" founded Massive protests against new AfD youth organization paralyse Giessen
Water cannons, blocked streets, injured police officers: the founding of the AfD youth organization causes huge protests in Giessen. Things are much more harmonious at the event itself.
29.11.2025, 17:55
29.11.2025, 18:02
dpa
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- Since Saturday morning, there have been massive protests against the founding of the new AfD youth organization "Generation Deutschland" in Giessen.
- Protests and blockades in the city delayed the start of the congress.
- In some places, there were violent clashes between demonstrators and police.
- The police used water cannons several times and also prevented the place of assembly from being stormed.
This article was last comprehensively updated at 17:55.
Large protests outside, great unity in the hall: the new AfD youth organization called "Generation Deutschland" (GD) was founded in Giessen. Several tens of thousands of counter-demonstrators gathered in the central Hessian city, most of them protesting peacefully. In some places, there were violent clashes between demonstrators and police. The police used water cannons several times and prevented the assembly point from being stormed.
By the early afternoon, 10 to 15 officers had been injured. The Giessen-Marburg University Hospital also reported around 15 slightly injured demonstrators who had received outpatient treatment by the afternoon. The police were initially unable to provide any figures on arrests or expulsions.
Police officers and a water cannon block access for demonstrators near the assembly hall.
Image: Boris Roessler/dpa
Several thousand demonstrators protest against the founding of a new AfD youth organization on Saturday.
Image: Boris Roessler/dpa
The police also used water cannons to block the protests against the new AfD youth organization in Giessen.
Image: Lando Hass/dpa
Various organizations protest against the new AfD youth organization.
Image: Boris Roessler/dpa
There were clashes between demonstrators and police.
Image: dpa
The police prepared for the massive protests with a large contingent.
Image: dpa
Demonstrators took up position in a field in Heuchelheim near Giessen.
Image: dpa
Protesters also gathered at the train station.
Image: dpa
Police officers and a water cannon block access for demonstrators near the assembly hall.
Image: Boris Roessler/dpa
Several thousand demonstrators protest against the founding of a new AfD youth organization on Saturday.
Image: Boris Roessler/dpa
The police also used water cannons to block the protests against the new AfD youth organization in Giessen.
Image: Lando Hass/dpa
Various organizations protest against the new AfD youth organization.
Image: Boris Roessler/dpa
There were clashes between demonstrators and police.
Image: dpa
The police prepared for the massive protests with a large contingent.
Image: dpa
Demonstrators took up position in a field in Heuchelheim near Giessen.
Image: dpa
Protesters also gathered at the train station.
Image: dpa
Protests since the early morning
The protests began early in the morning. Activists blocked several roads in the Giessen area to prevent people from traveling to the founding congress. The meeting began a good two hours late because many of the approximately 1,000 participants had not arrived at the Giessen exhibition halls on time at 10.00 am.
AfD leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were also late. They sharply criticized the blockades. The Junge Alternative had disbanded in the spring after the AfD split from it. The reason: as an independent association, the JA was only loosely connected to the AfD. Members - with the exception of the executive board - did not have to be members of the party and acted largely independently.
Weidel: training ground for the party
According to AfD leader Weidel, Generation Germany is primarily intended to produce capable young talent for the parent party, also with a view to next year's state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where polls suggest the party could come into government for the first time. Many posts would then have to be filled. "So this is a cadre forge for government responsibility," said Weidel.
As a rule, only those who are already in the AfD can be members of the new AfD youth organization. Breaches of rules or misconduct can therefore be punished, up to and including expulsion from the party. The organization should be open to all AfD members under the age of 36.
Several injured - AfD member of parliament reports attack
According to Weidel, AfD member of parliament Julian Schmidt was "beaten up" on the fringes of the protests. He confirmed an attack to dpa. He was attacked by around 20 people after parking his car near the hall. Blue and red marks on his nose and cheekbone were the result of the attack. Schmidt spoke of a new quality of confrontation. The police said, without naming names, that an AfD member of the Bundestag had been injured and a suspected perpetrator had been arrested. The investigation was ongoing.
Up to 50,000 participants had been expected by the police. In the afternoon, Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck spoke of 25,000 to 30,000 demonstrators. Thousands of police officers from 15 federal states were deployed; according to the authorities, it was one of the largest police operations in the history of Hesse. This was also due to calls for violence from the left-wing scene. According to Poseck, there were several hundred demonstrators prepared to use violence. The city of Giessen has a population of around 92,000.
Blockades of federal highways
Among other things, demonstrators temporarily blocked the B49 and B429 federal roads. Around 2,000 people occupied the B49 federal road. The police used water cannons after the road was not cleared despite repeated requests. There was also a blockade on the B429 and a water cannon was used. According to the police, officers were also pelted with bottles on the Konrad Adenauer Bridge in the city and shot at with tracer ammunition near the exhibition halls. At a blockade site, officers used pepper spray to defend themselves against stone-throwers.
In the afternoon, a group of demonstrators tried to break through to the venue in the exhibition halls. According to a dpa reporter, around 30 to 40 people tried to break through the police barriers. The police also used a water cannon to push the activists back. The federal police also reported that a service horse had fallen down a slope next to a road "without any outside influence" and injured itself. The rider was not injured.
"All together. Against fascism"
The largest of numerous demonstrations was organized by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). Around 20,000 people gathered in the morning. Protesters chanted "All together. Against fascism" and "Stop the arsonists". The district chairman of the DGB Hesse-Thuringia, Michael Rudolph, spoke of an "impressive, visible and deeply democratic sign against misanthropy and division".
The police secured the venue in the exhibition halls with a large contingent and sealed off the access routes, including bridges over the River Lahn. In Giessen city center - a short distance from the event location on the other bank of the Lahn - things remained largely calm. Helicopters circled in the air in the distance. There were far fewer stalls open at the Christmas market - many stores also remained closed.
Merz criticizes violence
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply criticized the violence. "Tonight you will see television pictures from the city of Giessen that are anything but pleasant, a clash between the far left and the far right," said Merz at the state party conference of the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt in Magdeburg. "I want us in the political center of our country to show that we can solve problems."
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt emphasized: "Demonstrating is a fundamental right, which is why it must be made possible. Gathering together is also a fundamental right and must be made possible," said the CSU politician in a speech at the Saxon CDU state party conference in Leipzig. "But I can only say: I have the greatest respect for the police officers when I see people wearing masks, chaotic people, people with Bengalos, with flares, approaching the police in a violent manner."
