June 30, 2024 – 12:35 pm
Two police officers were taken to hospital after clashing with protesters outside a conference of the far-right Alternative for Germany party in Essen on Saturday. writes The GuardianGerman police said two police officers — a man and a woman — who were accompanying a politician were seriously injured when protesters kicked them in the head. Both fell to the ground and had to be taken to hospital. Seven other police officers were also slightly injured in the clashes near the Großjahalle, and the perpetrators fled the scene. Police said earlier that pepper spray and rubber batons were used during the clashes.
The demonstration turned violent after left-wing protesters clashed with riot police, and it became clear that many of the protesters were wearing head coverings, From the Spiegel broadcastThe Guardian reported that around 1,000 police were deployed in Essen, and organizers said 50,000 protesters marched toward the conference. Police have not yet released any information on the number of participants.
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 see it as a democratic political force, and some may ban the party. The AfD’s co-chairs, Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, were re-elected on Saturday.
In the European Parliament, the AfD previously sat with France's National Pact and the Italian League, among others, in the far-right faction called Identity and Democracy. However, they were expelled before the European Parliament elections because their list leader said in an interview: Not all SS members were criminals. (A translation of the statement in which he said that not all SS members were guilty was also circulated.) It was then suggested that the AfD would form another party family with May Hazanek. Now it seems that the German party will back down on this matter.
