Thousands of police officers have been deployed in Cologne, Germany, as thousands of left-wing protesters gather to demonstrate against an Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) party conference.
The AfD, a populist right-wing and anti-Islam party, will seek to choose a new co-leader to take it up to a general election later this year.
Police have deployed 4,000 officers.
Two have been injured in clashes, one while escorting party members.
They have described the mood as tense and there are several reports of arrests. One man was detained after a police officer was hurt.
Some 10,000 protesters are there already, the German tabloid Bild reports (in German). Many shops are closed for the day, people in Cologne have tweeted, and police helicopters are overhead.
Bicycle blockade
About 100 people tried to break through a police line on the opposite side of the Rhine river from the conference venue, Die Welt newspaper reports (in German). Outside the hotel, 50-60 people blocked access using a chain of bicycles. Police broke this up, leading to skirmishes with protesters.
It is not the first time an AfD conference has attracted demonstrations. When the party met last year in Stuttgart, hundreds of protesters were detained.
Police escorted 13 couples through nearby streets to their wedding ceremonies in the city hall, local news site RP Online reports. One told the site (in German): "We're getting straight out and celebrating in Bochum [another city in the region]."
AfD co-leader Frauke Petry, who is nine months pregnant, announced earlier this week that she would not be the party's chief candidate in the September general election, meaning she would not be the face of the AfD or compete with Chancellor Angela Merkel to lead the country.
At Saturday's conference, she argued that the party should become more mainstream and seek to govern in coalition rather than staying in opposition but delegates voted against her approach.
Fractious atmosphere: Analysis by the BBC's Jenny Hill in Berlin
Thousands of armed police officers are holding protesters back from the city centre hotel where Germany's most controversial party is holding its pre election conference. Inside, the atmosphere is no less fractious.
The AfD, which is notorious for its fierce anti-Islam rhetoric, is slipping in the polls. The anti-immigrant platform which won it support during the refugee crisis is no longer enough to satisfy the electorate.
The party is on course to win seats in the general election but its chances of significant political success depend now on whether its members can agree on a candidate to stand against Angela Merkel and on the party's future direction.
While this weekend is officially a party conference, in truth it will be a weekend of crisis talks.
No comments:
Post a Comment