Clashes, arrests mark start of German far-right AfD congress
About 1,000 police were deployed in the western city of Essen as around 600 delegates began a two-day meeting with authorities expecting up to 80,000 people to join demonstrations.
Police detain a protestor as Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) holds a party convention in Essen. / Photo: Reuters
Clashes between hooded demonstrators and police have marked the start of a party congress of Germany's far-right AfD, weeks after it scored record EU election results despite multiple scandals.
About 1,000 police were deployed on Saturday in the western city of Essen as around 600 delegates began a two-day meeting, with authorities expecting up to 80,000 people to join demonstrations.
"Several disruptive violent actions occurred in the Ruettenscheld quarter. Demonstrators, some of them hooded, attacked security forces. Several arrests were made," the police of North Westphalia, where Essen is located, said on X.
Police break up a sit-in near the Grugahalle in Essen, where the AfD's two-day national party conference is taking place amid numerous counter-demonstrations.
A top regional official had warned that "potentially violent far-left troublemakers" could be among the protesters.
"We are here and we will stay," said AfD co-president Alice Weidel, opening the congress and drawing sustained applause.
"We have the right like all political parties - to hold a congress," she added.
Adding to the security forces' headache is the Euro 2024 football tournament, with the last 16 clash between hosts Germany and Denmark taking place on Saturday in Dortmund - not far from Essen.
Key regional polls
In early June the Alternative for Germany (AfD) notched up its best European Union election result since its creation in 2013, winning 16 percent of the vote to take second place.
It was behind the main conservative CDU-CSU opposition bloc but ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), which is in power at the head of a troubled three-party coalition.
Buoyed by a surge in immigration and a weak performance by Europe's top economy, the party hit as high as 22 percent in opinion polls in January.
However, their support faltered amid a welter of scandals that mainly implicated their top EU election candidate, Maximilian Krah.
At the congress, delegates will be asked to vote on a motion proposing an end to the practice of having two-party co-presidents.
A top regional official had warned that "potentially violent far-left troublemakers" could be among the protesters.
Instead, there will be just one president alongside a general secretary.
If the motion is approved, then Tino Chrupalla - the party's second co-president alongside Weidel - could lose his position, German media have reported.
He has been highly critical of Krah, meaning he could be targeted by the disgraced politician's supporters.
Both Chrupalla and Weidel have backed introducing the post of secretary general as they believe it could help professionalise the AfD ahead of Germany's 2025 parliamentary elections.
The congress comes ahead of three key elections in September in states that once formed part of communist East Germany, and where the AfD has been topping opinion polls.
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