Trendpills
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the western German town of Attendorn on Saturday to protest the founding of a new youth organization by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The event marks a strategic rebranding effort by the AfD after its previous youth wing, the "Young Alternative" (JA), was dissolved to preempt a potential state ban.
The controversy began after Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, officially classified the JA as a confirmed extremist movement. This designation brought the group under intense scrutiny and raised the possibility of it being outlawed under German law, which is designed to protect the country's democratic order. Citing this pressure, the AfD leadership supported a move to dissolve the controversial youth branch earlier this year in what critics call a tactical maneuver to shed an extremist label.
Despite the dissolution, the AfD proceeded with plans to establish a successor group, also named "Junge Alternative für Deutschland," at a party conference in Attendorn. This decision was met with immediate and fierce opposition, sparking large-scale demonstrations in the town. Protesters, including local citizens and anti-fascist groups, argue that the creation of a new organization is merely a cosmetic change that does nothing to alter the underlying ideology. They view it as an attempt to circumvent legal consequences while continuing to promote a far-right agenda.
The protests in Attendorn are part of a broader wave of public mobilization against the AfD that has swept Germany. Earlier in the year, massive demonstrations erupted nationwide following revelations about a meeting where AfD politicians allegedly discussed mass deportation plans for immigrants, including some with German citizenship. While the AfD remains a potent political force with strong polling numbers, particularly in eastern Germany, the continued public backlash highlights a deep societal rift over the party's rising influence and its relationship with extremist factions that have been under observation by intelligence services.
