Controversy surrounding AfD party conference. - More legal actions by AfD regarding cancellation of party conference venue.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has taken legal action against the cancellation of its event hall rental for their federal congress that's scheduled to take place at the end of June in Essen. They've filed two lawsuits at the administrative court in Gelsenkirchen, with one coming from the party itself and the other from the AfD faction in Essen.
Both applications were filed in an urgent manner and aim to have the Grugahalle made available to the party under the previously agreed terms without any additional conditions. A court spokesperson confirmed the news on Tuesday.
The applications are quite substantial, each totalling 113 and 91 pages in length. The court will make a decision promptly, but first giving the city of Essen an opportunity to provide their input.
Last week, the municipal exhibition company terminated the rental contract, as the AfD hadn't provided a supplementary declaration to their original 2023 contract that required them to prevent any potentially illegal Nazi slogans during their gathering. The city council's request would lead to a penalty of 500,000 euros if not adhered to.
Deputy Peter Boehringer, from the AfD, accused the city council of being illegal. He argued that it's impossible to monitor every potentially controversial sentence made by the party's 1,800 attendees and external visitors. The Essen AfD faction's emergency application claims the city council decision was unlawful and they're demanding it be overturned.
Concurrently, the party has also requested an injunction order at the District Court of Essen with a similar intent, which will be discussed at an oral hearing on June 17th. Furthermore, the AfD has filed charges against Essen's mayor and the exhibition company's managing director at the public prosecutor's office, accusing them of embezzlement and attempted coercion. However, it's still being determined whether there's suspicion of a criminal offense.
