There have been disturbances in Essen on the sidelines of the party congress of the German far-right party AfD.
A group of counter-protesters tried to break into the area controlled by the riot police in the morning. Broadcasting companies ZDF and ARD say that masked people attacked the police and several people have been arrested.
Over the weekend, up to 100,000 anti-AfD protesters are expected to gather in Essen. The participants of the party meeting have been brought to the place in transports protected by the police.