On November 29, 2025, the usually quiet city of Giessen in central Germany became the focal point of a dramatic political showdown. Tens of thousands of protesters—estimates ranged from 25,000 to as many as 50,000—descended upon the city to voice their outrage over the founding of a new youth wing by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The event marked a turning point for the party and, many argue, for German politics itself.
The AfD, which had already stirred controversy and fear across the political spectrum, was holding a convention to launch its new youth organization, aptly named Generation Germany. The previous youth wing, Young Alternative, had been disbanded earlier in 2025 after Germany’s domestic intelligence agency labeled it a right-wing extremist group. That move, however, did little to curb the AfD’s momentum. In February 2025, the party secured over 20% of the vote in a snap national election, becoming Germany’s largest opposition party. Recent polls now put their national support at an even more formidable 27%, according to reporting from Reuters and the Associated Press.
The mood in Giessen was tense from the early hours. Protesters blocked roads and access to the convention center, causing the AfD’s meeting to begin more than two hours late. Police, anticipating unrest, deployed up to 6,000 officers, some in full riot gear. The situation escalated when stones and bottles were thrown at police, prompting officers to respond with pepper spray and water cannons. According to police statements cited by the Associated Press, ten officers were slightly injured in the clashes, while at least one AfD lawmaker was assaulted near the city. Despite these skirmishes, much of the protest remained peaceful, with many demonstrators simply holding banners and chanting slogans against extremism.
“Of course I’m here against the right wing,” one protester told ABC, capturing the spirit of many in the crowd. “We must take a stand and send a message that things should not go as far as they did almost 100 years ago.” Another protester put it bluntly: “We’re here today because we have a very clear goal to prevent the founding of the AfD youth wing. This is a right-wing extremist youth organization that is to be founded and we believe that this must not happen and we will prevent it.”
Inside the convention, the AfD leadership was undeterred. Alice Weidel, the party’s co-leader, lambasted the protests as an attack on democracy itself. “What is being done out there—dear left-wingers, dear extremists, you need to look at yourselves—is something that is deeply undemocratic,” she declared, according to the Associated Press. Tino Chrupalla, her fellow co-leader, acknowledged past mistakes with the previous youth group but insisted the new organization would be different. “Some benefited from the young, from their ability to mobilize, but didn’t have the well-being and future of this youth sufficiently in sight,” he said. “We should have taken more care of the young new hopes in our party; it will be different in the future.”
Amid the uproar, 28-year-old Jean-Pascal Hohm, a state lawmaker from Brandenburg, was elected unopposed as leader of Generation Germany. Hohm, who had previously chaired the Young Alternative in his home state, struck a defiant note in his acceptance speech. “We are the generation that will save our homeland from decline. We are the generation that will take responsibility and fight with all the necessary determination to ensure that Germany has a great future. We are Generation Germany. Join us.” His words, reported by ABC and the Associated Press, underscored the AfD’s strategy of appealing to young voters—especially young men—by championing traditional values and promising a return to national pride.
But critics remain deeply skeptical. Nina Kolleck, a politics and education researcher at the University of Potsdam, told ABC that while the new youth wing’s public messaging might be more disciplined, its core ideology remains largely unchanged. “Our idea remains similar to the past but that it’s only the presentation to the outside which has changed now,” she explained. Indeed, the Cologne court’s ruling on the Young Alternative highlighted its central goal: preserving an ethnically defined German people and excluding the “ethnically foreign” wherever possible. The court also cited agitation against migrants and asylum-seekers, as well as links to extremist groups like the Identitarian Movement.
Despite these concerns, some AfD delegates insisted the new youth wing would continue the work of its predecessor, but without drifting into radicalism. Kevin Dorow, a delegate from northern Germany, said, “The new formation means above all continuing what the Young Alternative started—being a training ground, attracting young people ... and above all bringing them into politics for the good of the party.” He added, “I haven’t seen any drift in a radical direction in the Young Alternative.”
The broader political context cannot be ignored. The AfD’s rise comes at a time of deepening disillusionment with mainstream parties, particularly Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government, which has struggled to impress voters. The AfD first entered the national parliament in 2017, riding a wave of discontent following the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s. Since then, the party has capitalized on issues ranging from migration to economic uncertainty, positioning itself as the voice of the disaffected and the anti-establishment.
Looking ahead, the stakes are high. Five of Germany’s sixteen states will hold regional elections in 2026, including two in the former East Germany where the AfD’s support is strongest. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for example, polls show the party at a staggering 38%—a lead that could translate into real governing power for the first time since the party’s founding over a decade ago, as reported by The Washington Post. Leif-Erik Holm, a former radio DJ turned politician, is set to become the AfD’s top candidate in that state, further signaling the party’s ambitions to move from opposition to leadership.
For many Germans, the events in Giessen were a wake-up call. The sight of thousands of young people rallying under the AfD’s banner, alongside equally passionate crowds determined to stop them, painted a vivid picture of a country at a political crossroads. As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the battle over Germany’s future—its values, its identity, and its political direction—is far from over.