Germany news: AfD conference wraps up in Erfurt

Around 1.5 million people turned out for the Cologne Pride Parade, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day (CSD), organizers said.

About 60,000 participants had registered for the parade, which featured around 100 floats moving through the city center, as hundreds of thousands of people looked on.

The western German city's parade is one of the largest of its kind in the country and in Europe.

Pride parades in Germany are known as Christopher Street Day to honor the June 1969 protests at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street in New York, in which the bar's patrons resisted police raids. The demonstrations sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Herbert Reul, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, the state where Cologne is located, took part in the parade for the first time. 

Reul told Germany news agency dpa that he was attending because he is "increasingly concerned" about rising homophobic sentiment in society.

"We increasingly have people demanding to decide how we should live. And that's wrong," Reul said.

Claudia Roth, the former culture minister for the Green Party, said the parade represented the "largest demonstration for democracy" in Germany.

Karl Lauterbach, former German health minister and member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), highlighted the importance of CSD amid rising pressure from the right wing.

"Where rights are abolished and the people affected can no longer be seen, then we will go under," he said.

Germany’s far-right AfD concluded a two day meeting that saw Alice Weidel tighten her grip on the party and acted as a springboard ahead of high-stakes elections.

Throughout the weekend Alice Weidel, who saw her support from members increase and placed allies in key posts, tried to rally her party around the German flag. 

"With black, red and gold," Weidel shouted into the hall, "we are heading into the snap federal election with our national colors. We will stake a claim to government, because we are the strongest force."

Delegates waved the German flag in response.

National elections are not planned until 2029, but the AfD is trying to beckon fresh elections no doubt concerned that should the economy improve they may lose support.

The AfD believes it’s best chance of power in the short term is in the state of Saxony-Anhalt where it could win an outright majority in September. Such a result would send shockwaves through Germany.

In his remarks, co-leader Tino Chrupalla, issued a warning to party members: "We shouldn't promise anything we can't deliver."

The AfD is looking to make the transition from a protest party to a big tent party capable of wielding power. But it continues to be bogged by scandals. 

A sample of stories in recent weeks include the emergence of a six year-old photo of a senior figure giving a Hitler salute, while another questioned the Germanness of non-white players in the national team. 

The party continues to be monitored by Germany’s domestic intelligence services who contend the AfD's ethnic nationalist views are unconstitutional. 

The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, has criticized wording in her party's Saxony-Anhalt election program on the traditional family.

The program says an intact family made up of a mother, father and children is "proven" to be the best basis for healthy child development. Weidel lives with a woman and is raising two children with her.

Asked about the passage at the party conference in Erfurt, Weidel said: "They can write whatever they want. I live something different."

"If you ask me personally: My children have the best upbringing, the best conditions," Weidel told the RTL/ntv media group. She said society now lives in "a completely different reality" and that same-sex relationships should be treated equally.

At the same time, Weidel defended her party's broader focus on the traditional family as a political goal, saying: "If I speak as a politician about a social model, and that is the traditional family, then I can advocate for it and it is not a contradiction."

Leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) have reaffirmed their claim to power at the close of the party conference in Erfurt.

Co-leader Tino Chrupalla told delegates: "The AfD is here to win. And we will win and we will govern."

Chrupalla said the party’s immediate goal was to win state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin in September. He also said the AfD wanted to take power at the federal level in 2029.

"We must finally move from opposition into government," Chrupalla said. "We are ready for it. We want to govern."

´The party's other co-leader Alice Weidel said the party would lay claim to government after the next federal election if it becomes the strongest force.

Chrupalla urged party unity, warning members to prepare for "disappointments and setbacks" on the path to power. He said the AfD wanted to gain another four or five percentage points and must keep persuading voters.

Weidel said the newly elected party leadership’s main task was to prepare for a possible takeover of government, including through a new basic program.

The AfD has opened an eight-point lead over Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc, its closest rivals, in the latest weekly poll.

The Insa survey for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper put the AfD unchanged at 29%, while the CDU/CSU slipped one point from the previous week to 21%.

Germany's travel and transport arbitration board reported a record surge in complaints in the first half of 2026, with more than 29,400 cases filed, driven mainly by severe spring weather and disruptions linked to conflict in the Gulf region.

Officials also say rising consumer awareness, partly fueled by artificial intelligence tools, is contributing to the surge.

Air travel accounts for 83% of complaints, with cancellations due to weather, strikes and conflict the main drivers.

Rail complaints make up 14%, largely due to delays tied to strained, aging infrastructure.

The board says more than 80% of cases are settled successfully, with most travelers receiving full compensation. 

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party continued its conference in the eastern city of Erfurt.

Delegates on Sunday focused on campaign videos for upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and city state of Berlin.

Internal matters were also on the agenda, including party rules on new members and dues.

Most of the crowd, which police estimated at around 31,000 people, had left by Saturday night after protesting the AfD gathering.

Key decisions were finalized Saturday amid large anti-AfD demonstrations in the city.

Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were confirmed as co-leaders of the party. Several new members were also elected to positions on the 14-member executive.

In Germany, most parents place few limits on their children’s smartphone use, according to the Postbank Digital Study 2026.

Nearly two-thirds of households set no daily screen time limits, and nighttime restrictions are uncommon, with many families allowing unrestricted phone use before bed.

The study also shows that more than half of parents set no clear guidelines for social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Even so, public concern is high. About 86% of respondents support stricter age limits for social media, and many also favor a nationwide ban on smartphones in schools, citing concerns about distraction and its impact on learning. 

The representative study surveyed more than 3,000 people in Germany in May, including 732 respondents from households with children.

Germany's most-capped international football player, Lothar Matthäus, offered a critical assessment of former national team coach Julian Nagelsmann after his resignation.

Matthäus, who retired from professional football in 2000, spoke to Germany's RTL and ntv broadcasters. He assigned Nagelsmann a "D," citing inconsistent performances and a lack of clear direction.

He cited three disappointing results: a quarterfinal exit at the European Championship, held on home soil; a fourth-place finish in the Nations League; and a round-of-32 exit at the World Cup.

The 1990 World Cup champion took particular issue with Nagelsmann's communication style.

"Preferring messages on WhatsApp to face-to-face conversations? That's actually unthinkable for a leader," he wrote in a column for Bild.

He said the decision to part ways was justified, but noted that players also shared responsibility.

Matthäus also pointed to constant squad rotation, saying frequent changes and questionable selections undermined the team.

Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, wants to limit the far-right AfD's access to classified information if the party enters government.

He says the AfD has close ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin, which raises serious security concerns.

Pistorius told German tabloid Bild that sensitive material must not end up in the wrong hands.

"We are intensively examining the question of to whom we can grant access to classified information. We are already doing this. We are obliged to do so because it concerns the security of our country."

The AfD, now Germany's largest opposition party, is under scrutiny by domestic intelligence agencies in several states over extremist positions.

The party is aiming for a breakthrough in September regional elections, which could see it govern a federal state for the first time.

Here's what happened in Germany on Saturday:

• The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party held a two-day conference in the eastern city of Erfurt.
• Anti-AfD protesters blocked roads and staged rallies in Erfurt.
• Germany's foreign minister warned China about reports of training Russian soldiers.
• A large fire in Stuttgart raged out of control for hours before being extinguished.

We're pausing the blog. Thank you for reading, we'll be back tomorrow again!

The Brandenburg Gate, one of Berlin's most famous landmarks, was illuminated in the red, white and blue colors of the US flag on Saturday evening to honor 250 years of US independence.

"As a symbol of unity and freedom, the Brandenburg Gate powerfully reflects our shared values on July 4," Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said in a statement.

"Berlin warmly congratulates the United States on its 250th birthday," he added.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also issued a statement, saying that the anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence was a cause for celebration even for Germany.

"The values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence formed the foundation of free and democratic post-war Germany," Wadephul said.

More than 30,000 people protested in Erfurt against the AfD party convention, which is taking place there this weekend. 

"Most of the protests were peaceful. It's colorful and loud—we can be satisfied," said Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier at the scene.

Maier is a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party, and Thuringia is the eastern German state where Erfurt is located.   

DW reporter Paul Jäger, who was present at the demonstrations, confirmed this: "People came from all over Germany. They said that simply voting for a different party wasn’t enough for them; they wanted to take a stand for democracy by actively protesting on the ground." 

Nevertheless, he witnessed acts of violence during the numerous protests. Especially around the convention center, where the party convention was held, there was violence against journalists from conservative media outlets and clashes between the left-wing Antifa movement and the police. 

On Sunday, the delegates' meeting of the far-right AfD will come to an end. Unlike at many previous party conventions, this year's focus is on demonstrating unity.

Given the historically high poll numbers and the upcoming elections in three eastern German states in September, the party does not want to display any public differences or provoke new controversies. Most speeches, therefore, refrained from verbal escalations and mutual attacks.

Around 31,000 people took part in protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), outside the party's conference venue in Erfurt, eastern Germany, police said.

Union members, civil society groups and left-wing activists sat in rows to block highways and roads leading to the convention centre where the 2-day conference is happening.

Police reinforcements from across Germany were deployed alongside local officers in case of violence.

Earlier, police said the protests were largely peaceful, although police said they used pepper spray during isolated clashes.

In the later statement, police said it had recorded 16 protests during the day and that around 10,000 people had taken part in the sit-down blockade of several streets in the city.

Some 60 people were arrested, 48 for criminal offenses and 11 for administrative offenses, the statement said.

The police said an investigation has been launched after several journalists were injured during the protests.

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz talked up the country's future on Saturday, as multiple geopolitical issues and fierce rivalry from China weigh on economic growth.

Merz told a regional party conference for his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the western city of Düsseldorf that the years ahead could be successful provided the country stays on its reform path.

"Germany's best years are not behind us: If we get it right, we have some very good years ahead of us," he said.

He continued that Germany has achieved a great deal in recent decades and had repeatedly worked its way out of crises.

Merz then told party members that the current challenge must be met with reforms.

"We are proving that the political center can find solutions, work out compromises and also reform the country," said Merz. "Step by step, we are proving that we are a genuine reform coalition for Germany."

Merz wasn't expected to attend the conference in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. His last-minute appearance was seen as an attempt to unite the party following a recent split.

During recent contentious economic reform talks, speculation grew that the CDU had lined up NRW State Premier Hendrik Wüst as chancellor-in-waiting, should Merz fail to deliver.

NRW will hold elections early next year.

Firefighters have managed to extinguish the large blaze that had ripped through two industrial halls at Stuttgart's market after battling it since Friday evening.

Up to 300 firefighters and other responders were deployed to the scene.

The cause of the blaze remained unclear, with the police asking for witnesses to step forward.

The damage is believed to be immense, with first estimates cited by police going up to tens of millions of euros.