On July 3 and 4, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) held its annual federal party convention in Erfurt, the capital of the eastern German state of Thuringia. The AfD has become Germanyβs second-largest political party and is seeking to take power in several state governments. Tens of thousands of people traveled from across Germany to protest the party congress. The civil disobedience alliance Widersetzen (Defy) organized hundreds of buses carrying protesters intending to take part in mass blockades.
By around 5 a.m. on July 3, the first buses had reached Erfurt, with protesters attempting to establish blockades at multiple locations throughout the city. Unicorn Riot accompanied one of the buses traveling from Berlin. After disembarking near an interstate highway outside Erfurt, activists managed to push through a police line, gathered on the highway, and staged a sit-in to strategically block one of the main access routes to the AfD congress.