June 29, 2024 – 12:27 PM
Violent clashes erupted Saturday morning between left-wing protesters and riot police in the German city of Essen, ahead of a conference of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Police appeared to have cleared protesters from part of the scene, with many of them being removed. From Spiegel's live broadcast.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the second-strongest party in Germany. The party's various wings represent nationalist, conservative and far-right views, which is why many do not consider it a democratic political force, and others may ban the party.
The Alternative for Germany party will hold its renewal conference next Saturday, and the most important issue is the re-election or replacement of co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. The conference will be held in the city of Essen.
About 7,000 counter-protesters also attended the conference and tried to prevent the event from taking place. Since early morning, part of the roads leading to the conference site were blocked, as well as the square in front of the building hosting it.
Many party delegates who attended the event were able to reach the building only with difficulty, either by detours or delays, while others were escorted through the crowd by riot police, while demonstrators insulted and clashed with them several times. Some demonstrators sat in front of the building, and riot police pulled them away from the scene.
In the end, they were able to start the conference half an hour after the original time, which the demonstrators later considered a success.
