Germany news: Rallies against new far-right AfD youth group

The eastern German city of Chemnitz finished its year-long run as the European Capital of Culture on Saturday.

The city marked the occasion with a parade as more than 1,000 people in traditional costume marched through the streets accompanied by music.

At the closing ceremony in front of the Opera House, the Steigerlied (miners' song), which is part of the region's cultural heritage, was sung together with the spectators.

During the evening, a retrospective on Chemnitz year as Capital of Culture was followed by an open-air rave that illuminated the Karl Marx Monument.

Looking ahead, Oulu in Finland will share the Capital of Culture title with Trencin in Slovakia in 2026.

During its year as the Capital of Culture, up to 2 million visitors traveled to Chemnitz, organizers said.

Mayor Sven Schulze spoke of a year "full of experiences, emotions, encounters, ideas and pride."

He added that for the city to be named Capital of Culture for a year was like "winning the lottery."

In addition to the many cultural offerings, millions were invested in revitalizing former industrial wastelands and improving infrastructure.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on the European Commission to think again about banning combustion engines.

Speaking at a regional party conference of his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Magdeburg, Merz said Germany would not continue to follow the rules on a "stubborn and misguided" ban.

"We must remain a strong industrial location," he added before explaining that electic vehicles were still the main path forward.

In 2022, the EU agreed that all new cars would no longer be allowed to emit carbon dioxide (CO2) from 2035, in order to be able to meet the bloc's climate targets.

This ban on new gasoline and diesel cars highlights the EU's efforts to transition away from fossil fuels, but it has also drawn serious criticism from car manufacturers and some EU countries.

Earlier this year, Brussels announced plans to review the ban. Germany's ruling coalition partners — the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) — are pushing for the EU to soften its decision to phase out combustion engines.

While the aim of the policy was to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide that damage the climate, the lack of desireability of electric cars has seen pressure mount to reverse the ban.

Merz stressed the necessity of tackling climate change but "not with bans, not with regulation, not with dying industries,
but with state-of-the-art technology."

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has established a new youth organization called Generation Deutschland (GD) at a founding congress.

More than 800 participants adopted a youth statute with rules on the role and work of the GD. Unlike its predecessor, Junge Alternative, the new group is to be closely linked to the AfD.

The meeting was met by massive protests, with police putting the number of protestors at around 25,000 with 5,000 officers deployed.

Several people with minor injuries were treated at the city's university hospital as protests raged against the new organization. 

German police reported around 10 to 15 officers also suffered minor injuries.

Meanwhile, Jean-Pascal Hohm, a member of the Brandenburg state parliament for the AfD, was elected chairman of the new AfD youth organization.

The 28-year-old from Cottbus received 633 of the 725 votes cast at the founding meeting.

The AfD is not the only party congregating this weekend. Germany's Greens are gathering for a party conference in Hanover, though they are complaining about the amount of coverage AfD is getting, saying there are more important things going on in the world.

Among those who addressed the 800 members gathered on Saturday was the party's youth leader, Henriette Held, who declared, "The climate crisis is a class issue," before pillorying the ultra-wealthy for not living up to their obligations.

Held called for discussions on "redistribution" and said companies must also take on more responsibility.

She told those present that "mobility cannot be turned into a luxury good" and called for the reintroduction of cheap train tickets to help save money for those who have little means.

The party's leader, Felix Banaszak echoed Held, calling for more climate protection and social justice.

Banaszak said it is important that the Greens convince people from all walks of life and every social class that they should actively participate in protecting the environment. He added that this means promoting "climate policy for all" and giving the people a sense of hope for a better tomorrow.

The party leader talked of the need to take seriously the concerns of those living in German cities, especially renters.

Banaszak was critical of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and said the Greens were interested in creating different policies — "ecologically ambitious policies that win over the majority" so that "we can advocate for a better, more just world."

Firefighters in the western city of Düsseldorf on Saturday said they used a ladder truck to rescue 10 people trapped in an apartment building after an explosive device destroyed its entrance around 4:00 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) Thursday morning. 

Authorities say the explosion was the result of a criminal act but that they do not have a motive at this point, noting that the examination of forensic evidence will take time.

Prosecutor Janne Jakobek confirmed that the building belongs to a well-known local rap musician, saying that although he was briefly at the scene, he has not yet been interviewed as a witness.

It is not known whether the owner or one of the building's residents may have been the target of the attack.

Police said no injuries were reported and that despite considerable damage to the property, no fires had broken out. Structural engineers were also able to determine that the explosion had not seriously damaged the building's structural integrity.

Police and prosecutors in the western German city of Cologne on Saturday confirmed that they had arrested a man whom they say seriously wounded two individuals. The suspect is accused of shooting the two individuals on Friday evening around 10:00 p.m. local time (2100 GMT).

Police detained a 27-year old man accused of having shot a 46-year-old and a 53-year-old outside the Motor World Event Center after an altercation. Both men remain hospitalized with serious injuries.

Authorities say they gathered evidence at the scene and conducted witness interviews to determine a motive. The incident is now under police investigation. 

Some 1,000 people were inside the event space enjoying a sold-out dinner show when the shooting occurred. Authorities put the site on lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the shooting but later allowed guests to leave the premises.

A two-day founding convention of young members of the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is drawing a massive crowd of opponents to the central German city of Giessen, a university town of 90,000 in the state of Hesse.

"Young Alternative," the AfD's prior youth group, was disbanded after Germany's domestic intelligence services labeled it a "proven right-wing extremist" organization.

On Saturday morning, police reported clashes with protesters who had set up roadblocks and were "massively" affecting traffic around the city.

In one instance, protesters used a bus to block entry and exit to a roundabout, quickly creating traffic chaos. Police described an "active situation with many different locations." 

Freeways and other major thoroughfares were affected all around the city they said.

Police said officers used pepper spray after being pelted with rocks in the early morning hours.

Some groups announced their intention to keep AfD members from entering Giessen's convention hall in order to stop them from founding the new group. 

A spokesperson for the group confirmed that the start of the convention had been delayed.

The new organization, tipped to be called "Generation Germany," is to be headed by Jean-Pascal Hohm.

Domestic intelligence services in the eastern state of Brandenburg, where Hohm serves as a state representative, say that he, too, is "confirmed right-wing extremist."

Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck says police are preparing for a "challenging large-scale situation" in Giessen.

Several thousand police officers from all 16 German states, as well as federal police forces, are expected to be on duty Saturday.

More than 20 protests were registered with the city and organizers of the three biggest have complained that the city has "banished democratic protesters" to one side of the Lahn River and is allowing "fascists" to convene in peace on the other. 

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in a partly sunny Bonn. 

Today, there is a lot of news out of Giessen, where Alternative for Germany (AfD) members will vote to establish a new youth wing to replace the previous "Young Alternative," which Germany's domestic intelligence services labeled far-right extremist.

In the western German cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf police are investigating a shooting and a possible bombing.

Stay with DW as we bring you updates from the day's events in Europe's biggest economy on November 29.