Fractious scenes: BBC's Jenny Hill in Cologne

Thousands of armed police officers were deployed to hold protesters back from the city centre hotel where Germany's most controversial party was holding its pre-election conference. While tensions brewed inside the AfD party convention in the western German city of Cologne, outside the hotel hundreds of left-wing demonstrators tried to block about 600 AfD party members from entering. Up to 15,000 demonstrators and hard-left activists gathered in the city, with around 4,000 officers, many clad in riot gear or on horseback, deployed to prevent the escalation of anti-populist rallies. COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Germany's best-known nationalist politician on Saturday called on members of the Alternative for Germany to endorse her more pragmatic course instead of turning the party into a "fundamental opposition," an appeal that appeared to reveal the growing split among the populist party's leading figures.
Thousands of German riot police are deployed to control protesters opposing the Alternative for Germany at the party's conference in Cologne.