Blockades began in the night. Currently, there are approximately 5,000 demonstrators in Riesa, where the federal party convention of the AfD is being held today and tomorrow; the police expect the number to double by then. As a result, more than 3,000 police officers are in operation to secure the party convention.
Riesa, a city in Saxony with 29,000 inhabitants, was chosen as the location for the party convention because the AfD received 40 percent of the second votes in the last state election in September. Consequently, the demonstrators have arrived from far and wide, mostly from the western part of the republic, such as 200 buses, for example, from Göttingen, Aachen, and Gießen.
The arrivals are trying to block streets and intersections. There have already been multiple clashes with the police, with police vehicles being attacked or firecrackers being used. Early in the morning, water cannons were deployed, and the police used pepper spray. In total, there are 18 gatherings registered in Riesa, with 12 of them being from the Leipzig-based organization “Say it loud”.
The area around the Energy Systems Arena, where the party convention is taking place, has been cordoned off and is only accessible after checks, which were already in place by 5 a.m.
The party convention primarily serves the adoption of the election program. Although the selection of Alice Weidel as the AfD’s chancellor candidate, which is also to take place, is a media-effective act, it is not a real effective action – the German electoral law does not have federal, but only state lists, so a federal party convention cannot really put up candidates.
The originally scheduled start of the party convention at 10 a.m. has been delayed. The live stream of the party convention is still only reporting on the delay.