The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) continued its national party conference on Sunday in the western city of Essen amid mass anti-AfD protests that included occasional violent clashes.
On the second day of the meeting, the subject for debate was the party's foreign policy orientation, for example with regard to the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine.
A resolution, which is supported by party co-chairwoman Alice Weidel, states that Germany must break more strongly from US foreign policy. It calls for an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine.
The gathering comes ahead of September state parliamentary elections in the German states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia, where the AfD is expected to make a strong showing and contend for first place.
The AfD's firebrand leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, usually a prominent speaker at party events, kept a low profile during the conference this year.
Höcke was recently criminally convicted for quoting the slogan of the Nazi SA stormtrooper group during a speech, and is currently on trial over a second instance in which he quoted the same slogan.
Delegates reject limits on Russia visits
Delegates at the party conference on Sunday rejected a proposal to put stricter rules on foreign travel and interviews with foreign media for AfD politicians holding seats in parliament.
The proposal for stricter rules, put forward by several delegates, comes after extensive negative media attention involving travel to Russia and appearances on Russian state media by AfD politicians who have voiced admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Florian Köhler, an AfD member of the Bavarian state parliament and supporter of the motion, criticized "visits to regional dictators or autocrats" and said the party should focus more on the German homeland in order to avoid being perceived by voters as vicarious agents of foreign states.
The rules would have required AfD members of parliament to consult with party leadership before giving interviews to foreign media, meeting foreign leaders abroad or taking trips "with a political connection."
The motion also referred to the AfD's scandal-plagued top candidate in the recent European Parliament elections, Maximilian Krah.
The AfD was kicked out of the right-wing Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament after Krah made highly controversial comments defending members of the Nazi SS paramilitary in an interview with an Italian newspaper.
Krah is also facing an investigation into possible foreign influence-buying payments from Russia and China, and also faced tough questions after a top deputy was arrested by German police on allegations of spying for China.
During the party conference, some leaders and delegates blamed Krah in part for the party's showing in European Parliament elections earlier this month. The AfD placed second with 15.9% of the vote, but fell short of some polls and expectations.
AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla, for instance, called on Saturday for improved vetting of candidates and said that the AfD should have claimed more than 20% of the vote.
Fewer protests on drizzly Sunday
After massive protests against the party conference on Saturday, it initially remained calm around the Grugahalle indoor arena in Essen on a rainy Sunday morning.
Some 150 people took part in a vigil within sight of the Grugahalle in the morning, according to a dpa reporter. The organizer was the "Essen Takes a Stand" alliance.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people protested against the AfD party conference. According to the police, 28 officers were injured in clashes, one of them seriously.
Large groups of people, sometimes numbering several hundred, repeatedly attempted to prevent delegates from attending or to break through barriers by means of violent disruptive actions, the police reported on Saturday evening.
"In the course of these violent actions, our colleagues had to make repeated use of batons and irritant gas," the police said.
Demonstrators also suffered injuries, for example from pepper spray.
An AfD delegate at the convention, Stefan Hrdy, acknowledged to dpa that he bit a protester in the leg during a scuffle outside the congress on Saturday, an incident captured on video published by the Bild newspaper.
Hrdy contended that he acted in self-defence after being attacked by protesters trying to block access to the venue. Police in Essen said an investigation into that incident remains ongoing.
Some delegates were escorted into the Grugahalle on foot under heavy police protection, harassed by demonstrators.
