The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has continued its national party conference in the western city of Essen amid protests that turned violent at times.
On the second day of the meeting, the subject for debate was the party’s foreign policy orientation, for example with regard to the Russian war against Ukraine.
A resolution, which is also supported by party co-leader Alice Weidel, states that Germany must emancipate itself more strongly from US foreign policy. It calls for an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine.
The agenda also includes a motion to create the post of secretary general in the AfD executive committee. However, according to the motion, this will only be possible from 2025.
The new executive board, which was elected at the party conference on Saturday, is in office until 2026. The delegates cleared the agenda item of creating a secretary general faster than expected with the re-election of Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as party leaders.
After massive protests against the party conference on Saturday, it initially remained calm around the Grugahalle indoor arena in Essen on a rainy Sunday morning.
Some 150 people took part in a vigil within sight of the Grugahalle in the morning, according to a dpa reporter. The organizer was the “Essen Takes a Stand” alliance.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people protested against the AfD party conference. According to the police, 28 officers were injured in clashes, one of them seriously.
Large groups of people, sometimes numbering several hundred, repeatedly attempted to prevent delegates from attending or to break through barriers by means of violent disruptive actions, the police reported on Saturday evening.
“In the course of these violent actions, our colleagues had to make repeated use of batons and irritant gas,” the police said.
Demonstrators also suffered injuries, for example from pepper spray.
Some delegates were escorted into the Grugahalle on foot under heavy police protection, harassed by demonstrators.
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