Eleven people have been taken to hospital in the wake of a right-wing demonstration and an anti-fascist counter-protest in the eastern German city of Chemnitz, where a fatal stabbing sparked a wave of rallies.
Tensions were running high in Chemnitz with sporadic clashes being reported between the participants of two rival marches that took place in the city on Saturday under heavy police presence.
A total of some 9,500 people took part in both demonstrations, police reported. The turnout of the right-wing rally, led by anti-immigrant AfD (Alternative for Germany), anti-Islam PEGIDA and right-wing group “For Chemnitz,” which joined later in the day despite police objections, outnumbered the one organized by left-wing activists, which marched under the motto “Heart against Hatred” and attracted some some 4,000 people, according to the count provided by the city authorities.
The right-wing demonstration, initially envisaged as a “silent march,” gathered at the Karl Marx monument in downtown Chemnitz chanting “Wir sind das Volk” (We are the people) and other slogans.
Disturbances were reported at the nearby 12th century landmark Roter Turm (Red Tower). According to police, several groups of people tried to break through police cordons and infiltrate the right-wing rally there. Some 300 people were arrested as police moved to prevent the skirmishes, it said in the report.
Eleven people were hospitalized following the violence, the city authorities reported.
Overall, 25 offences of various nature, such as damage to property, inflicting injuries, resisting police and using banned insignia, have been reported by police. In an incident that took place outside demonstration venues, a 20-year-old Afghan man was attacked and beaten by four unknown perpetrators. The victim suffered minor injuries.
The counter-demonstration was supported by Germany’s mainstream parties, including Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Left Party. As SPD MP Soren Bartol and his entourage were on their way to leave the rally, they were attacked by what Bartol described on Twitter as Nazis. The lawmaker said that attackers destroyed the party’s flags and inflicted bodily harm on some of his associates. None of the injuries were serious, however.
Ich bin entsetzt. Meine Gruppe aus Marburg wurde gerade auf dem Weg zum Bus von Nazis überfallen. Alle SPD Fahnen zerstört und einige wurden sogar körperlich angegriffen. #chemnitz#spd#marburg
— Sören Bartol (@soerenbartol) September 1, 2018
The rallies in Chemnitz have been going on for days, sparked by the death of a 35-year-old German in a brawl on Saturday, which reportedly involved around 10 people of “various nationalities.” A 22-year-old Iraqi and a 23-year-old Syrian were subsequently arrested and charged with manslaughter.
