Three journalists attacked and kicked in the head while covering anti-AfD protest in Erfurt
A team from right-libertarian outlet Apollo News was chased, thrown to the ground and repeatedly kicked, including a blow to the back of the head, during demonstrations against the AfD party congress.
The attack on Apollo News
Three reporters from the news portal Apollo News were assaulted on Saturday while covering a large anti-AfD demonstration in Erfurt. According to editor-in-chief Max Mannhart, the team was chased by a group of around a dozen people, thrown to the ground, and kicked repeatedly. One reporter, Jonas Aston, suffered a laceration to the back of his head from a targeted kick while he was on the ground. Another team member, Marius Marx, sustained abrasions. The attack ended only when police arrived at the scene near Straße des Friedens/Gustav-Adolf-Platz.
Three Apollo News reporters were chased away from an Antifa demonstration in Erfurt and beaten up.
We were suddenly chased by a group of definitely 50 people. They tripped us many times. We tried to run to get within sight of the police on Friedensstraße. That worked, so the police were able to stop the assault. A colleague of ours was kicked in the head several times while on the ground.
Injuries and medical response
All three team members were injured. Aston had a head laceration, Marx had abrasions, and the third reporter suffered contusions. Paramedics treated them on site before they drove themselves to hospital for further checks, particularly to rule out more serious head trauma. Mannhart described the incident as "a truly outstanding attack on press freedom".
Police and other incidents
Erfurt police have not yet confirmed the specific attack on Apollo News, though videos circulating on social media appear to show it. Earlier, police reported that two journalists were injured by bottle throws from within a gathering; one was taken to hospital by ambulance. Authorities did not disclose which media outlets those reporters worked for. Separate videos also showed reporters from the conservative newspaper Junge Freiheit being surrounded and intimidated on a motorway during a protest.
Protest backdrop
The attacks occurred amid mass demonstrations against the AfD federal party congress. Tens of thousands of protesters attempted to block delegates' arrival with sit-ins on city streets, motorways and federal roads. The entire AfD federal executive board had stayed overnight at a hotel on the fairgrounds, and the remaining delegates arrived as early as 4 a.m., allowing the congress to begin on schedule at 10 a.m.
