A German public broadcaster is reviewing its procedures following a live interview with the co-leader of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), Alice Weidel, which was disrupted by protesters.
During the television interview on ARD on Sunday, Alice Weidel at times struggled to hear the questions being asked as protesters, including Omas gegen Rechts (Grans against the Right) and the anti-fascist artists’ collective Zentrum für Politische Schönheit (the Center for Political Beauty), gathered below the temporary stage in Berlin. The protesters used a bus to blare the anti-AfD song “Scheiß AfD Jodler” by Corner Chor, an award-winning activist choir.
Some parts of the interview were inaudible to viewers. The anti-immigrant party demanded that the interview be rerun to give Weidel the chance to properly answer the questions. ARD stated that an uninterrupted flow in interviews is in its interest and will draw conclusions and take precautions in the future. The broadcaster claimed they were not notified of the protest and that nothing had been registered with the police in advance. The journalist, Markus Preiß, revealed that Alice Weidel was quite sporting, given the volume, and that while everyone is allowed to demonstrate, this one wasn’t registered.
Weidel posted the interview on social media, claiming it showed how the media handles interviews with the AfD. The interview was held next to a public square in Berlin. ARD faced criticism for not moving the interview to an enclosed studio, as some believed it created more publicity for the AfD, which became the largest opposition party in the German parliament after February’s elections. Reporters Without Borders suggested that internet companies be taxed to help finance public broadcasters amid increasing pressure from far-right parties.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/21/alice-weidel-alternative-fur-deutschland-protesters-interview
