AfD Claims Coincidence, but Far-Right German Party Holds Convention on "Hitler's Day"

AfD Holds Party Convention and Re-elects Co-Leaders
Nazi Reich Party Congress Took Place on the Same Date 100 Years Ago

The far-right German party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), has sparked intense controversy by holding its party convention on the same date as a historic Nazi Party event from 100 years ago. While AfD explained that the overlap was coincidental, both political circles and civil society are strongly pushing back, accusing the party of intentionally invoking Nazi-associated symbols.

According to Yonhap News on July 4 (local time), citing local outlets such as Welt and Deutsche Welle (DW), AfD held its party convention in Erfurt, Thuringia, where co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were re-elected with approximately 81 percent and 70 percent of the vote, respectively. Both leaders will serve two-year terms.

On the 4th (local time), protesters attending an anti-AfD rally are holding posters. Photo by Yonhap News.

The date of the convention is at the center of the controversy. On July 3-4, 1926, the Nazi Party (NSDAP) held its Reich Party Congress in Weimar, near Erfurt. This event is regarded as a pivotal moment that solidified Adolf Hitler's leadership, marked the official launch of the Hitler Youth, and established the "Heil Hitler" salute and Nazi-style greetings as the party's official rituals. For this reason, many have argued that AfD holding its party congress in the same region on the exact same dates, one hundred years later, is unlikely to be mere coincidence.

Large-scale protests also broke out around the convention venue. Demonstrators from across the country attempted to block the party congress by barricading 12 roads in downtown Erfurt from early morning. German police estimated that about 31,000 people took part in the protests that day. Some participants occupied tram tracks, shouting, "The tragedies of the Nazi era must never be repeated," while anti-fascist groups criticized AfD for threatening democracy.

In anticipation of the blockade, AfD admitted delegates starting five hours before the event began, with 540 out of a total of 600 delegates reportedly arriving at the venue before 5 a.m. Party leader Chrupalla asserted, "Holding a party congress is a right guaranteed by democracy," while Thuringia party chief Björn Höcke dismissed any intentionality, stating, "The venue operator simply suggested the date."

However, criticism from the German political establishment is mounting. Andreas Audretsch, deputy floor leader of the Green Party, claimed, "AfD is openly continuing the NSDAP's tradition." Mainstream German parties are known to uphold the so-called "firewall principle," refusing any form of coalition or cooperation with AfD.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.