Huge tension in a march of thousands of right-wingers in Germany

[Blexfraptor]

Some 6,000 Germans, according to figures from the police, have joined this Saturday to the "silent march" called by the far right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Chemnitz (east), after the death last Sunday of a person, allegedly hands of two immigrants, have reported German media.

The protest has started after 17:00 local time (15.00 GMT) in a peaceful manner and among large security measures, to avoid incidents such as those that have been repeated in recent days in this German city.

The demonstration has been promoted, in addition to by AfD, by the xenophobic movement European Patriots against the Islamization of the West (Pegida) and to it has been added at the last minute the local right-wing collective Pro Chemnitz, which has dissolved the concentration that had called an hour

before to join the main protest.

The call of Pegida tries to remember "all the deceased because of multiculturalization by force of Germany" and to criticize the "illegal immigration policy" wearing "preferably black", without banners, and carrying only German flags and white roses "as an expression of pain".

Likewise, the extreme right-wing protesters have uttered slogans such as "We are the people", "Free, social, national", "Resistance", "Foreigners out" and "Liar press", in addition to insulting and making obscene gestures.

In addition, there have been several counter-demonstrations, the largest of them organized by an alliance of 70 organizations under the slogan "Heart instead of hate", and which have joined politicians from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), The Greens and The Left. Some 3,5000 people have participated, according to the police, and slogans have been launched such as "Nationalism out of the heads", "Nazis out" and "You lost the war", also seasoned with insults and boos.

The large police deployment has prevented the most violent sectors of one side and another from clashing openly during the extreme right march, although there have been object launches, skirmishes and a constant exchange of threats and insults in a very hostile environment.

"Several points of Chemnitz are loaded with tension, our operation has had to attack sometimes," the Saxon Police has acknowledged on Twitter.

The tension has been escalating at the end of the march, which has not been able to complete its journey, leaving both sides in a central square of the city, like a pressure cooker, separated only by hundreds of riot police, on foot and on horseback. , police tanks and armored vehicles.

Groups of both sides have resisted until about 9.00 pm local time (19.00 GMT) to leave the site despite appeals from security forces.