Left-Wing Extremists Hunt Down Conservative Journalists in Erfurt
Conservative journalists covering protests against Germany's AfD party congress in Erfurt were violently attacked by masked left-wing extremists who deliberately targeted reporters from outlets like Apollo News.
The attacks occurred as thousands of demonstrators gathered to disrupt the AfD federal party congress in Erfurt, capital of Thuringia. Journalists from multiple conservative outlets were deliberately identified, pursued through city streets, and attacked by groups of masked activists, with some assaults captured on video and widely shared on social media.
Apollo News, a Berlin-based conservative online news platform focused on German politics, suffered the most serious assault. Video footage shows a mob chasing the outlet’s three-person reporting team before surrounding them near Gothaer Platz and launching a violent attack. One journalist was thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly, including blows to the back of the head. Two members of the team sustained injuries in the incident.
German police have opened an investigation and established a dedicated task force to probe the attacks. A police spokeswoman confirmed that the Apollo News reporters were targeted with bottles hurled from the crowd.
Reporters from Junge Freiheit, one of Germany’s most prominent conservative weekly newspapers, also came under assault while documenting the demonstrations. The pattern of attacks reinforced claims that segments of the protest movement deliberately singled out media organizations perceived as right-leaning or politically non-aligned.
According to the targeted outlets, the violence was not spontaneous but represented a coordinated effort to intimidate and expel conservative journalists from covering the protests. Multiple reporters described being actively hunted by groups of masked extremists who tracked them through Erfurt, blocked their movement, and attempted to prevent them from filming or documenting events. Several journalists were forced to abandon their positions and flee after being chased by hostile crowds, while others reported damaged equipment.
Left-Wing Alliance Appears to Justify Attacks
The assaults sparked additional controversy when representatives of Widersetzen, a nationwide left-wing activist coalition that organized blockades aimed at shutting down the congress, appeared to defend the violence during a July 5 press conference.
When questioned about the attacks by public broadcasters Deutschlandfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk, alliance spokesman Noa Sander responded with remarks widely interpreted as legitimizing violence against conservative media. We came to Erfurt to block fascists, Sander stated, adding that fascists with press credentials remain fascists. The spokesman offered no condemnation of the assaults.
Police estimated that approximately 31,000 people participated in the protests, though organizers claimed the figure reached 50,000. Several groups attempted to physically block access routes to the venue where the AfD congress was being held. Law enforcement officers drawn from nearly all German federal states, supported by federal police units equipped with horses and water cannon, were deployed to maintain order.
Clashes between demonstrators and police erupted repeatedly throughout the day, with multiple outbreaks of violence reported across the city.
AfD Congress Proceeds Under Heavy Security
Despite the disruption and violence, the protesters failed to achieve their stated objective of preventing the party congress from taking place. Under heavy police protection, the AfD proceeded with its federal gathering as scheduled.
Delegates re-elected co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla to two-year terms. Weidel secured approximately 81 percent of the vote, while Chrupalla received about 70 percent. Both ran unopposed.
The systematic targeting of journalists has reignited concerns across Germany about left-wing political extremism and the erosion of press freedom. Cameras and press credentials reportedly made conservative reporters easy targets, with demonstrators alerting others to their presence while shouting insults including “Nazis” and “fascists.”
The incidents have drawn attention to a growing pattern of violence against media professionals whose political perspectives diverge from left-wing orthodoxy, raising questions about whether German authorities and civil society organizations have adequately confronted extremism on the political left.
With information from Brussels Signal
