German minister slams protester violence at far-right gathering

The interior minister of the western German state of Hesse on Sunday hit out at violent protesters while praising police in relation to demonstrations at the founding this weekend of the new youth wing of the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

"Without the police, there would have been the worst acts of violence and civil war-like conditions in Giessen," Roman Poseck said after the far-right AfD set up its Generation Deutschland (GD) in the town on Saturday.

Tens of thousands gathered on Saturday, blocking roads into the university town of some 90,000 in an attempt to disrupt the formation of the GD.

Thanks to a large deployment, Poseck said police had guaranteed freedom of assembly and the physical safety of all involved.

The minister, a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said he was concerned at some of the protests. "Even if most of the demonstrators were peaceful, there was considerable potential for violence," he said, adding that acts of violence played into AfD's hands.