Plan for potential AfD event center in cinema stopped - German Authorities Block Far-Right AfD's Bid to Use Old Cinema
Far-Right AfD Blocked from Using Former Cinema as Event Space in Weilheim
Plans by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to convert a disused cinema and a local office in the Upper Bavarian town of Weilheim into event venues have been halted by authorities, sparking public protests and a decisive ruling from the district administration.
The Weilheim-Schongau district office has provisionally banned the AfD from using the premises for gatherings, citing a lack of necessary building permits. While routine office operations will remain unaffected, officials confirmed that "the intended use would have required planning permission, which was not obtained." Multiple media outlets had previously reported on the controversy.
According to municipal documents, the decision was driven in part by traffic concerns, aiming to "restrict high-traffic uses with significant parking demand." As a result, assembly venues, sports facilities, and cultural event spaces are now excluded from the area. Final determinations on permissible uses will depend on the specifics of a future zoning plan.
The move follows a major demonstration in early February, when around 4,000 residents took to the streets of Weilheim to defend democracy and protest the rising influence of far-right extremism in Germany and their own community. Under the slogan "Democracy Demands Courage. Now!", participants called for a firm stance against extremist ideologies.
The AfD had leased the former Starlight Cinema, located directly across from its Weilheim office, prompting reports of plans to establish a so-called "patriotic cultural center" on the site. City records show that on January 15, Benjamin Nolte—a state lawmaker for the AfD in Bavaria's Landtag and a candidate for district administrator in the March 8 local elections—and Gerrit Huy, an AfD member of the German Bundestag, filed a notification for the intended use.
Despite these developments, Stefan Protschka, a spokesperson for the AfD in Bavaria and a Bundestag representative, dismissed the claims in a statement to the German Press Agency (dpa), asserting: "The party has no plans to open a cultural center or anything of the kind."
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