AfD's North Rhine‑Westphalia branch seeks to buy a 3‑million‑euro event hall as federal party denies financing
The AfD's largest state chapter wants to acquire its own venue after years of struggling to rent space, but a loan from the national party is in question while a disciplinary probe against its leaders moves forward.
The purchase plan
The AfD's North Rhine‑Westphalia (NRW) chapter is pursuing the purchase of a dedicated event hall for approximately three million euros. State chairman Martin Vincentz and treasurer Christian Blex outlined a concrete option in a joint letter to all members and supporters, though they declined to name the city or the specific property. The chapter said it had been working on the project for over a year.
After over a year of preliminary work, the unique opportunity has now arisen to solve a multitude of problems by acquiring an event hall.
Why the party wants its own hall
NRW party officials describe an increasingly difficult search for venues, with many hall operators refusing to host AfD events. The chapter said last‑minute cancellations of already‑booked halls are not uncommon. That problem becomes acute when the party is legally required to hold assemblies, such as delegate conferences to nominate candidate lists. Most recently the chapter used an ageing event centre in Marl, a venue otherwise hired for large weddings, but leaders argue that relying on rental markets is no longer sustainable.
Financing, and the federal party's denial
The chapter aims to cover one million euros, roughly 30 percent of the purchase price, through donations by 31 December 2026. The rest was to come from the chapter's own equity and a loan from the national party. A federal spokesman, however, flatly denied that the party's federal executive is planning such a loan, creating immediate uncertainty over whether the deal can close.
An escalating internal conflict
The hall proposal lands in the middle of a fierce power struggle. The AfD's federal executive board launched a party disciplinary proceeding against Vincentz and other members of the NRW executive board over the weekend. The trigger is the ongoing fight over the candidate list for the 2027 NRW state election. Two hostile camps have formed: the comparatively moderate wing around Vincentz, and the ethnic‑nationalist wing around Dortmund Bundestag member Matthias Helferich.
A party congress in Marl a week and a half ago descended into shouting and chaos. The Vincentz camp ultimately prevailed, and the Helferich faction walked out. The NRW chapter then sought an injunction against the federal leadership at the Düsseldorf regional court, a move the federal executive saw as a violation of party statutes because Vincentz should have first approached the party's internal arbitration tribunal. The court rejected the urgent application last week. The federal board also set up a commission of inquiry to scrutinise the NRW chapter; the state executive has until 5 August to respond to the allegations.
We are facing the proceedings with the utmost composure.
A federal party spokesman confirmed the disciplinary procedure. Meanwhile the NRW leadership continues to solicit donations with a call to "invest now in the future and independence of our magnificent state chapter." The chapter remains the AfD's largest by membership.
