The events took place after a night of sporadic riots between police and anti-fascist demonstrators gathered in the city since Friday.

According to organizers, about 50,000 people responded to the call of a large number of anti-fascist social, trade union and political organizations and during the action shouted slogans, such as “Nazis out” and “Hate has no place in Essen.”

While the police asked protesters to avoid violent and rowdy actions, they confirmed some violent incidents by activists to prevent AfD members’ access to the Grugahalle from their hotels.

Police officers reported several arrests and an attempt by a group to break through the police cordon at 5.45 a.m., which the police responded to with charges and tear gas.

Coupled with this, seven police officers suffered minor injuries and two others sustained serious head injuries while escorting a politician through the crowd.

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