Some demonstrators protesting a congress by the far-right AfD party in the city of Essen have clashed with police. Around 100,000 protesters are expected in the western city, with violence feared from leftist extremists.
Police on Saturday used pepper spray and batons to stop a large group of protesters breaking through a cordon in the western German city of Essen, where a two-day congress by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is due to get underway.
It was not immediately clear if demonstrators were injured in the incident, which occurred at around 5:45 am (0345 GMT).
In all, some 100,000 protesters are expected to take part in demonstrations in Essen against the anti-immigration, archconservative party, which has been gaining support particularly in the country’s former communist east.
Although organizers say the protests will be peaceful, police fear violence from the some 1,000 leftist extremists who also intend to demonstrate.
Around 600 AfD delegates are to meet in an indoor arena, with party co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla seeking reelection ahead of German parliamentary elections in the autumn of next year.
High security presence
Several thousand police officers are on hand to ensure security at the protests.
A large demonstration was to begin at 10 am local time at the main train station.
Some 5,000 protesters already took part in a rally with music on Friday evening that had the motto “Bass gegen Hass” (Eng.: “Bass against hate”).
The AfD is being monitored by the German domestic intelligence agency (BfV) as a suspected right-wing extremist organization. The agency has warned that the party poses a racist, antisemitic and anti-democratic threat to Germany.
Despite such warnings and a series of scandals, the party came second in Germany in European Parliament elections on June 9, and even took first place in the five former communist eastern states.
It is also expected to become the strongest party in September elections in three of those eastern states — Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg —, amid fears that other parties will not be able to form a governing coalition to outnumber it.
Source: DW news
