Germany: Gießen protests against AfD escalate into clashes with police

Mass protests in the German city of Gießen against the AfD party congress turned violent, leading to clashes with police. Observers warned the situation nearly resembled civil war. Hesse’s Interior Minister Roman Poseck said on Sunday that the police operation accompanying the founding conference of the AfD’s new youth organization on Saturday was successful, while also criticizing parts of the protests. Poseck, a member of the CDU under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, stated: “Without police intervention, Gießen would have witnessed the worst acts of violence and conditions akin to civil war.” He stressed that thanks to the deployment of large police forces, freedom of assembly and the safety of participants were largely protected.

Sources - Agencies