Mass protests planned today in Essen, Germany, against the far right AfD (Alternate for Germany).
In fact, police in the western German city predict that up to 100,000 protesters will gather.
It is clear that the authorities are concerned about the risk of “far-left” incidents.
Around 600 AfD MPs will gather today in the city’s Grugahalle arena, with current leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Hrupala seeking re-election ahead of German parliamentary elections in autumn next year. No one came forward to challenge this duo.
Left-wing organizations have announced that they intend to block entrances to the convention site in the morning in order to prevent AfD delegates from passing through. The police have made it clear that this will not be tolerated.
A strong police force has been mobilized to protect the conference, police announced. The main protests are scheduled for today, with a march starting from the main train station.
At least 45,000 protesters are expected to gather in a parking lot near the convention site in the afternoon.
A key issue for the conference is expected to be the outcome of the European elections.
The final stages of the election campaign were overshadowed by the way the party dealt with its electoral leader, Maximilian Kra, after the pro-Nazis his comments and the arrest of his assistant for spying for China.
With information from APE-MPE