Federal party conference in Essen - Activists attempt to block AfD party conference
Before the AFD party conference in Essen, activists tried to prevent the arrival of delegates on Saturday morning. A larger group of demonstrators attempted to overcome a barrier as early as 5:45 am, leading to clashes with police. The police prevented this with the use of pepper spray and batons, according to the press office. It was initially unclear if there were injuries on the side of the demonstrators. Several ambulances had been called, a police spokesperson said.
In the vicinity of the event location, the Grugahalle, AfD opponents occupied streets and intersections. Several hundred people sat on the highways at an autobahn ramp. A spokeswoman for the blockade action "resist" spoke of "several thousand" participants and participants in the actions. The police spoke of "several thousand" demonstrators. "There are no highways blocked," a spokesperson said.
Several federal parliamentarians reported that they were picked up by the police from their hotel and taken to the event location. Some delegates reached the Grugahalle completely undisturbed on foot.
The two-day party conference is scheduled to begin in the morning. The police are on site with a large contingent of several thousand officers and water cannons. Up to 100,000 people are expected to attend counter-demonstrations and events throughout the weekend from all over Germany and abroad, including around 1000 left-wing extremists. The peak is expected on Saturday. A peaceful protest had already taken place on Friday evening under the slogan "Bass against Hate". According to the police, around 5000 people participated in the rave demo.
The AFD intends to elect a new executive board at the party conference. The city of Essen had been looking for ways to prevent the AFD party conference for months - but was ultimately unsuccessful in court.
- The planned arrival of delegates for the AfD party conference in Germany was met with protests, as activists attempted to block roads close to the Grugahalle.
- The police in Essen had to intervene early Saturday morning to prevent demonstrators from breaching a barrier, resulting in clashes and the use of pepper spray and batons.
- Despite the efforts of AfD opponents to disrupt the arrival of delegates, some managed to reach the venue on foot without incident.
- The two-day AfD party conference is expected to attract up to 100,000 protesters from all over Germany and abroad, with counter-demonstrations and events scheduled throughout the weekend.
- As part of the protests, a peaceful demonstration known as "Bass against Hate" took place on Friday evening, attracting around 5000 participants.
- The AfD intends to elect a new executive board at the party conference, despite facing opposition and legal challenges from local authorities in Germany.
