I came because, for the first time in years, a movement was offering ordinary Germans a way to resist that the political establishment no longer provides.
A Movement Built on Civil Disobedience
The blockades were organised by Widersetzen, a loose coalition of trade unionists, climate activists, anti-racist groups, queer organisations and local networks committed to civil disobedience.
The name can mean both “sit down” and “resist”.
Conservative media often portray Widersetzen as dangerous, potentially violent, far-left radicals. My blockade felt more like a street party or a school outing.
The twentysomething next to me wore a bright pink T-shirt with a unicorn, rainbow and the ironic legend “Alpha Male”.
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A medical student brought her urology textbook to study in downtime.
The only violence I saw came from the police: a handful of protesters ran through a gap in the cordon and were met with swinging clubs and pepper spray.
A few demonstrators were hurt, but none seriously.
Instead of aggression and fear, I felt something missing from German politics for too long: hope. Until now, the rise of the AfD has felt inevitable.
Germany’s mainstream parties have largely responded by chasing the same voters.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has moved right on immigration and social issues, using dog-whistle language, while cutting social funding and boosting military spending with a neoliberal agenda.
The AfD has only grown stronger.
What struck me most in Erfurt was Widersetzen’s ground game.
