Thousands of people protested against an appearance by Björn Höcke, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the central state of Thuringia, on Tuesday evening.
Calls for the protest in the city of Jena came from the two anti-fascist alliances. Police initially estimated a total of 3,000 participants, a spokeswoman at the scene said.
Police said in a later statement that several road sit-ins had been forcibly broken up. Pepper spray was also used in isolated cases, the statement said.
Four police officers had also been injured during the protest, police said. Police recorded seven criminal offences, including for sabotage of the power supply at the venue. Before the start, power had failed in the event hall, according to a dpa reporter.
Event with Höcke starts late
Höcke appeared in the evening at an AfD citizens’ dialogue event with two state lawmakers, Elisabeth Mengel-Stähle and Denny Jankowski, at the venue in the city’s Lobeda-West.
The event started late, and Höcke gave his speech without a microphone in semi-darkness.
Participants in the protest sang and chanted anti-fascist slogans such as “Fight back, resist fascism here in this country.”
Höcke appearance prevented in 2024
Just over two years ago, protesters prevented an appearance by Höcke in the same city. A few days before the 2024 state election, a citizens’ dialogue with the AfD politician had also been planned. It had to be cancelled at short notice “due to the large number of people and the confusing situation on the ground,” police said at the time.