Police in the eastern city of Chemnitz said Saturday they had ordered the organizers of an anti-migrant protest to call off their march.
The rally, which drew about 4,500 participants, surpassed its authorized time limit, leading to concerns about public safety, officials said. They added that some 3,500 counterdemonstrators had attempted to interfere with the march by blocking its planned route.
As night fell, protesters from both sides were refusing to leave the area, prompting police to bring in water cannon, the DPA news agency reported.
Very angry scenes after right-wing #Chemnitz demo discovered. "The problem is the police don't protect us." Chants of "wir sind das Volk" (WE are the people) – the slogan from the fall of the Berlin Wall. pic.twitter.com/7a7OtPl96S
— Jefferson Chase (@chaseongermany) September 1, 2018