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The Europhile politician - widely perceived to be the most influential in the European Union - spoke for 30 minutes, to a chorus of shouts and mocking. Around 100 Alternative for Germany (AfD) supporters, some of them wearing stickers with the party's logo and carrying posters with slogans such as "Immigration needs clear rules", heckled Mrs Merkel in a market square in the western town of Gelnhausen. Chants of "Merkel needs to go" rang out from protesters over the crowd of thousands, with many supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) turning out to. Mrs Merkel, recently returned from a three-week holiday, mentioned controversial topics including security, refugees, the economy and the diesel emissions scandal affecting Germany's car industry, in her speech.

REUTERS Germany will take to the polls to vote for a new Chancellor - and Angela Merkel wants a fourth term

REUTERS Germany: Angela Merkel fans line the street as AfD protesters descend on Gelnhausen

Angela Merkel in pictures Tue, August 8, 2017 Angela Merkel has served as German Chancellor since 2005 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000. We take a look at her political career in pictures. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 83 Angela Merkel through the years

The German Chancellor hit back at the protesters at the rally around 25 miles east of Frankfurt, saying Germany was a "democracy where people can show their discontent". But she added: "Sometimes listening a bit isn't a bad thing". Mrs Merkel is seeking a fourth term in next month's election, months after changing her tone on immigration. She previously advocated an open door policy which saw more than one million African and Middle Eastern refugees arrive in Germany in 2015. The backlash was intense - and every time a migrant committed a crime - calls for her resignation grew louder. Mrs Merkel drew boos mixed with applause when she thanked volunteers and professionals who helped migrants. She said: "Of course we can't allow a year like 2015 to recur every year."

REUTERS A supporter holds a placard during an election rally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Mrs Merkel added Germany needed to do more to tackle the root causes of migration, including encouraging development in Africa. Despite the protest the leader still has supportive strongholds across Germany. Her fans carried posters featuring the black, red and gold colours of Germany's flag and the words "Angela Merkel" or "For a Germany in which we live well and happily" - the campaign slogan of her CDU party. Some carried signs which said they brought “flowers for mother”. Polls show Mrs Merkel's conservatives are set to emerge from the September 24 election as the largest party by a long shot, but still in need of a coalition partner. The AfD is expected to enter the national parliament for the first time, polling 7-9 percent.

REUTERS Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel is vying for fourth term

It is clear that Europe makes us stronger than we would be on our own Angela Merkel