Anger and chaos due to overcrowding – AfD-Südwest had to have the hall evacuated
The crowded town hall in Rottweil at the special party conference of the Southwest AfD
Source: dpa/Christoph Schmidt
Actually, the AfD-Südwest party conference should not have taken place until the summer. But after an internal dispute, the entire board is now to be re-elected. However, so many members traveled to the special party conference in Rottweil that there was not enough space in the hall.
DThe AfD leadership in Baden-Württemberg had the Rottweil town hall evacuated on Saturday before the start of a state party conference. Members and guests initially had to leave the hall, later members entitled to vote were allowed to re-enter the hall, guests initially had to stay outside.
The hall has 1,040 seats; significantly more members and guests initially arrived on Saturday. 886 members took part in a test vote. Remaining available seats should be filled with members who were still waiting in the foyer.
The police had confirmed in a statement that “the organizer had to close the town hall” because “the permitted number of visitors of around 1,000 had been reached”.
A long queue in front of the town hall
Source: dpa/Christoph Schmidt
The AfD does not hold delegate conferences in the southwest, but rather member party conferences – and it is always completely It is unclear how many are arriving and which camps they belong to.
The mood in the hall was very heated before the eviction. On Saturday, the board argued on an open stage in front of the crowded hall about how to proceed and whether the party conference could even be held.
The co-state chairman Markus Frohnmaier then asked everyone present to leave the hall so that only members with voting rights could enter.
Controversial handling of inherited property
The party conference was actually only supposed to take place in the summer. The two-day special party conference at the weekend is based on a letter of protest from 22 of the 37 district associations, which accuse seven board members of blocking Frohnmaier and co-chair Emil Sanzen. According to reports, this involves, among other things, the handling of a property in the Ludwigsburg district that was bequeathed to the AfD in 2021.
The entire board of directors is to be re-elected at the party conference. Santen and Frohnmaier say they intend to run again. But the former state chairman Dirk Spaniel could also make another attempt at the leadership position. If the personal differences cannot be resolved, he would be “available for a fresh start,” Spaniel told the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten”.
A broad action alliance has also announced a demonstration in front of the town hall on Saturday. According to the police, around 2,000 participants are taking part in the counter-protest organized by the “Rottweil remains colorful and diverse” alliance, which is taking place in a cordoned off area in front of the town hall.
Numerous people took part in a demonstration against the AfD state party conference in Rottweil
Source: dpa/Christoph Schmidt