(VOVworld) – About 8,000 people joined a rally by the right-wing conservative AfD in Erfurt in the German central state of Thueringen on Wednesday to protest the asylum policies of the Federal and state government.

Pegida supporters hold up a poster showing Chancellor Angela Merkel in a uniform with an euro armband at a rally in Dresden on 1 June 2015. (Photo: Jens Schlueter/AFP/Getty Images)

Police said it was the biggest ever demonstration in the city since the migrant crisis began.On the same day about 800 supporters of government policy also gathered in front of the headquarters of the state legislature.

Police have increased numbers to ensure security for both sides.Demonstrations against immigrants launched by Germany's Pegida anti-Islam movement and conservative AfD have increased in frequency, especially over the past two months in major cities in eastern states including Dresden, Leipzig, and Erfurt.