1 of 3 | Local police anticipate up to 80,000 protesters, including about 1,000 violent far-left protesters, to descend on the weekend’s AfD party conference in Essen, Germany. Photo by Fabian Strauch/EPA-EFE
June 29 (UPI) — Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland party re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla to another two-year team as the party’s joint leaders amid violent protests Saturday in Essen.
Chrupalla received 82.72% of supporting votes from 600 AfD party delegates and Weidel 79.77% during the AfD conference that got underway Saturday.
Their successful bids for reelection as AfD party leaders occurred as thousands of protesters took to the streets of Essen Saturday morning.
The group Widersetzen allegedly is organizing mass protests against the AfD, which many describe as a “far-right” political party.
Widersetzen protest organizers want its members and supporters to disrupt the AfD conference to “prevent the spread of fascism.”
About 1,000 German police are deployed in Essen for the two-day political conference.
Police officials expect up to 80,000 protesters to arrive in Essen on Saturday, including about 1,000 far-left extremists prone to violence, German media have reported.
The Bild newspaper reported police made several arrests and rescued an AfD member whom aggressive protesters had cornered in a local bakery.
Hooded violent protesters attacked police and security forces outside the event, which led to several arrests, the North Rhine-Westphalia regional police posted on X.
Violent protesters seriously injured two police officers, according to the NRW.
The protests follow the AfD’s recent European Union election results earlier this month that gave the party Germany’s second-highest amount of votes.
Only the Christian Democratic Union, which is considered a center-right political party, has more votes.
The AfD’s election success occurred despite AfD member Maximilian Krah in May saying not all former Nazi SS members were criminals.