Agency Report –
Protesters were threatened and injured during a campaign event for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Sunday, police said.
The event in the town of Templin, about 70 kilometres from Berlin, was organized by a local AfD association and attracted about 80 people.
Demonstrations with around 105 participants took place at the same time.
Police said officers had to intervene to keep about 10 participants of the campaign event from confronting the protesters. One participant threatened a protester with violence and was subsequently banned from the premises.
Later, between 10 and 20 individuals followed a protester and injured him with a kick to the shin and a hit to the ear. The assaulted individual sought refuge in a drugstore.
Police said the identities of 12 people – all of them presumed to be part of the AfD election campaign event – were taken down for further investigation.
Germany holds parliamentary elections on February 23. The AfD is ahead of every party except the conservative CDU/CSU bloc.
