VIDEO AfD launched a new youth organization, met with violent protests. A deputy was injured

The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) founded a new youth organization on Saturday, called Generation Deutschland (Generation Germany, GD) at a congress during which massive protests, marked by violence, took place, reports dpa, according to Agerpres.

More than 800 participants adopted a youth charter, with rules on the role and work of the new organization, which will be closely linked to the AfD, unlike its predecessor, Junge Alternative (Young Alternative, JA), which was disbanded in the spring after the party cut ties with it.

Generation Deutschland will welcome any AfD member up to the age of 36, but young people who are not party members can also join the youth organization. AfD co-chair Alice Weidel stated that the organization will be a training framework for the party. According to the politician, GD's role is primarily to provide capable young talent for the AfD.

The university hospital in Giessen, where the congress was held, treated several lightly injured people who presented themselves as protests against the new formation took place in the central German state of Hesse.

Due to the blockages on the streets and the demonstrations that prevented the access of the approximately 1000 expected participants, the congress started with a delay of two hours. A group of about 30-40 demonstrators from the street also tried to enter the hall where the works were being carried out, passing the police barriers, who retaliated with a water cannon to repel the assault.

The police said that about 10-15 law enforcement officers also suffered minor injuries.

An AfD deputy was injured and the police announced that an assailant had been arrested. Weidel specified that it was Julian Schmidt, beaten by about 20 people after he had parked his car near the hall where he was going to participate in the congress.

In total, according to the police, more than 10,000 people participated in the protests that started in the morning; around 50,000 were expected. Protesters blocked several roads near Giessen, and in several places where clashes took place they threw bottles at ambulance crews. “All together, against fascism” and “Stop the arsonists” were chanted.

Local law enforcement received reinforcements from across Germany.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the violence and warned his countrymen that they would see clashes between the extreme left and right on the evening news. “I want us in the political center of the country to show that we can solve problems,” he said.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the right to demonstrate is fundamental, but no such right justifies violence against security forces and added: “I have the greatest respect for police officers when I see masked people, anarchists, people with flares and torches approaching the police with the intention of resorting to violence.”