Tens of thousands protest German AfD party conference

By Mesut Zeyrek

COLOGNE

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the German city of Cologne to block a conference of right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Saturday.

The conference is planned to be held at the Maritim Hotel in the Heumarkt district.

At least 5,000 police officers backed by a helicopter and armored vehicles are deployed in the city.

Two police officers were reported injured during tumults between AfD protesters and the party's supporters. Several protesters were detained.

The protests also blocked Deutz Bridge and the Rheinufer Tunnel, and bus and train services were interrupted.

The AfD -- which was founded as a protest movement in 2013 -- is represented in 11 of Germany’s 16 state parliaments on an anti-immigration and anti-Islam platform.