Clashes Break Out at Gender Talk by Right-Wing Politician in German University

German right-wing political leader Andre Poggenburg was forced to abandon an appearance at a university on Thursday, January 12, when left-wing student protesters staged a sit-in that turned violent.Firecrackers were reportedly thrown and scuffles broke out in the lecture hall at a university in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, where students protested against a talk by Poggenburg, a leading member of the populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD).

Poggenburg had been invited by a group of student supporters to speak on gender mainstreaming.

There were contradictory accounts of the lead-up to the clashes, with one report claiming that a student hurled a firecracker at Poggenburg, leading to escalations.

However, the above video shared on Twitter shows protesters holding a banner before the speaker before being attacked by several of his supporters.

Credit: Twitter/Jonas Blie via Storyful