A Growing Angst

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the eastern German town of Riesa over the weekend to block the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party conference, while similar protests erupted in the Austrian capital of Vienna, as citizens voiced their opposition to the growing influence of the far-right in Europe, Politico reported.

In Riesa, an estimated 10,000 protesters chanting “No to Nazis” disrupted roads leading to the AfD venue, delaying its start by two hours.

During the party meeting, the AfD nominated co-leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor in next month’s federal elections. Meanwhile, Weidel unveiled a platform that included strict border controls, mass deportations, and a return to nuclear and coal energy, alongside the reopening of Nord Stream gas pipelines with Russia, Agence France-Presse said.

Earlier this week, Weidel received a major boost from tech mogul Elon Musk, who hosted a livestream chat with her on his platform X, during which he endorsed the AfD as the only way to “save Germany.”

X also streamed the conference live, garnering over four million views by Saturday evening.

The AfD has become Germany’s second-largest party and is currently polling at around 22 percent. However, Weidel’s bid for power remains weak because all major parties, including the leading conservative Christian Democratic Union, have ruled out coalitions with the far-right group.

Saturday’s demonstrations in Riesa followed one in Vienna Friday in which more than 10,000 people demonstrated against coalition talks between the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP).

Demonstrators carried placards reading “Nazis out” and accused the FPÖ of threatening democracy and human rights. The FPÖ won 29 percent of the vote in September’s elections and was tasked with forming a government after centrist coalition talks collapsed earlier this month.

Despite past resistance, pro-Russia interim ÖVP leader Christian Stocker has opened the door to a coalition with the FPÖ with Stocker saying he wants assurances from the ÖVP that it would limit Russian influence in the country, according to Reuters.

Analysts say the rise of far-right parties in Germany and Austria reflects growing discontent with the mainstream political parties and their perceived inabilities to counter growing malaise in the countries and region. In Germany, in particular, the AfD has capitalized on fears over rising energy costs and migration, while Austria’s FPÖ has leveraged frustration with inflation and housing shortages.