RIESA, Germany (AP) — A convention of the far-right Alternative for Germany party was met by protests on Saturday as it and other major parties launch their campaigns for the country's election next month.

Thousands gathered on Saturday in the German city of Riesa to protest against the conference of Germany's far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD). The start of the AfD's party conference,

Scuffles erupted between protesters and police ahead of a party congress of Germany’s far-right AfD in Riesa on Saturday (). The police tried to remove protesters from the street to secure AfD delegates access to the congress venue.

Thousands of people demonstrated against a convention of the far-right Alternative for Germany, blocking some roads and delaying the meeting’s start as the country's major parties launched their campaigns for next month's general election.

The AfD has also been buoyed by events in Austria in recent days, where the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) has been invited to try to form a government with the conservative People's Party (OeVP). So far all of Germany's other parties,

A key congress of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was delayed Saturday as thousands shouting "No to Nazis" protested outside the venue in the eastern town of Riesa.

Protests organized on Saturday by an alliance of activists against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) have delayed the start of the party's conference in the eastern German state of Saxony. The protests come as three of Germany's major political parties are holding gatherings on the same day to finalize their election platforms and candidate nominations ahead of the national elections on February 23.