The city is to deploy some 4,000 officers for the AfD conference. The Cathedral City of Cologne is ramping up security ahead of the far-right AfD's party conference at the weekend, including around 4,000 police officers and a four-day no-fly zone over the city centre. Police and German aviation security officials announced that the no-fly zone will be in place from Thursday until Monday, while the party conference is set to take place on Saturday and Sunday. Those who violate the ban will be charged under German aviation law for an offense punishable by up to two years in jail, or a fine. The AfD was founded as an anti-euro party in 2013, but failed in that year's general election to cross the five-percent hurdle to representation.

Source: The Local April 20, 2017 07:52 UTC