The unruly protests have jolted awake a snoozy campaign and tarnished Merkel's image of invincibility, even though her conservative alliance is commanding a strong double-digit lead in opinion polls. They are also coming at a time when the anti-immigration and anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been gaining in the polls in the final stretch before the September 24th vote. With opinion polls putting its support at between eight and 12 percent, the group could well become the country's third-largest party. Merkel has vowed to press on with her rallies, even if she has said that "people who whistle and shout no longer have any interest in listening". "It is important to give people, who want to listen and form their own opinion, the possibility to do so," she added.

Source: The Local September 16, 2017 02:37 UTC