Left-wing militants, private companies, and municipal officials are all conspiring to harass Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) annual conference, which will go ahead this weekend in the west German city of Essen—after failed attempts by the city to completely stop it.
Fresh off the back of electoral wins that saw the populist party come in second in European elections—despite multiple scandals and near-constant state harassment—AfD top brass Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla will seek to renew their mandate at the head of the populist party against increasingly radical grassroots. Additional security protocols are being implemented to fend off “several tens of thousands” expected left-wing protestors.
Passive aggressive hostility against the AfD came from Essen city council, which has arranged for EU and LGBT flags to be flown around the congress location. The municipal authorities also aimed to temporarily rename the subway station adjacent to the venue location to ‘Diversity’, a move labelled “embarrassing” by online observers.
There are fears of violent attacks on AfD attendees as well as protests immobilising the city centre. Police are uncertain about the total number of protesters, but said at least 45,000 are expected at a protest meeting organised by the city of Essen, with speakers from the CDU and the German Evangelical Church. Antifa and other left-wing groups have said publicly that they want to use violence to stop the AfD congress.
Recent months have seen premeditated attacks on AfD activists and candidates, including an botched assassination attempt on one party candidate in the city of Mannheim earlier this month.
Despite being the second most popular party in Germany, the AfD had to secure a court order against city authorities in Essen in order to host the congress at a local exhibition centre. Local CDU mayor Thomas Kufen led efforts to cancel the event, claiming the populist party is in violation of the German constitution.
Hoping to overcome the internal strife that has plagued the AfD in the lead-up to the June European elections, there is speculation that the party will look to alter its constitution, creating a more centralised leadership.
Former AfD lead candidate Maximilian Krah is not expected to attend the Essen congress. The firebrand politician has provoked the ire of party top brass for an espionage scandal involving his Chinese-born aide, and for comments interpreted as relativising the guilt of SS-soldiers during World War II.
