The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt opened its campaign for the September 6 state election with a rally on the fairgrounds in Magdeburg on Saturday. Federal chair Alice Weidel appeared alongside lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund. Hundreds of demonstrators protested nearby.
Around 3,000 AfD supporters gathered in the afternoon. Weidel said Saxony-Anhalt would provide the party's first minister president. Supporters cheered and chanted Siegmund's name.
Up to 300 people demonstrated at some distance behind a police cordon. The alliance Solidarisches Magdeburg had registered the counter-rally. Participants included members of Omas gegen Rechts, the cultural scene and churches.
A representative of the Protestant Church in Central Germany stressed commitment to democracy, humanity and solidarity. The AfD leads polls with 41 to 42 percent ahead of the CDU.
