Thousands of demonstrators delayed the start of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) congress on Saturday in the eastern town of Riesa, with protesters blocking access roads and clashing with police,

(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) People stand in front of the stage of the Alternative for Germany, AfD, party convention in Riesa, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP) AfD election campaign posters with the inscription “AfD now ...

As the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party gathered to nominate its candidate for chancellor in the Feb 23 snap election, thousands of protesters mobilized to oppose what they see as a growing fascist threat, leading to a confrontation that captured the essence of Germany's current political moment.

A day after Donald Trump's inauguration as US president, the mood was jubilant at a small Berlin campaign event of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, despite the biting winter cold.

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With a month until Germany votes in the nationwide election, Brian Melican examines the growing influence of the AfD during the campaign – and explains why, in the short term, there is no way of stopping the far-right party’s rise in the polls.

A rejected Afghan asylum-seeker killed two people and left several others injured in a stabbing in Aschaffenburg, Germany.