New divisions split German delegates

cologne, germany» Divisions among German nationalists erupted Saturday as delegates from the far-right Alternative for Germany party rejected an appeal by one of their leaders to seek a pragmatic political path instead of turning into a “fundamental opposition” party.

While tensions brewed inside the AfD party convention in the western German city of Cologne, outside the hotel hundreds of left-wing demonstrators tried to block about 600 AfD party members from entering.

The delegates needed massive police protection to get into the convention, and protesters injured one police officer Saturday morning while trying to block the hotel.

Authorities had 4,000 police officers on the ground to prevent a violent escalation of anti-populist rallies by an expected 50,000 leftwing protesters.

Speaking before AfD members, nationalist politician Frauke Petry said the party needed to set the course for a “spiritual-moral change” in Germany and the rest of Europe. But a majority of the delegates rejected a vote on the party’s future path that she had suggested.

In comparison, Joerg Meuthen, a more far-right party leader who is one of Petry’s rivals, was cheered strongly when he lashed out at German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government’s migration policy.

Meuthen said when he’s out in his own city he barely sees Germans out in the streets anymore — only migrants.

“We don’t want to become a minority in our own country — even though we’ve already become one in parts of it,” Meuthen said, warning that one day Germany could even become a Muslim-dominated country.

The convention takes place days after Petry said that she won’t be her party’s top candidate in Germany’s Sept. 24 general election, a move seen by many as a consequence of party leaders’ infighting about the future direction of the AfD. The populist, anti-immigrant party is seeking to enter the national parliament for the first time in that vote.

Despite earlier fears, by noon most of the left-wing rallies in Cologne were peaceful. The state governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hannelore Kraft, who was attending one of the demonstrations, praised protesters for their activism.