Photo Gallery Race Riots in Chemnitz
Chemnitz on Monday evening: Right-wing demonstrators light off fireworks and wave Germany flags. Several thousand right-wing extremists took part in a rally in the city to protest against foreigners, refugees and immigration.
Prior to the right-wing demonstration, a large protest against extremism was held in the city. Clashes between the two groups could not be prevented by the police given their lack of sufficient personnel.
Similar clashes occurred on Sunday, making it all the more surprising that the police didn't have enough officers on the street on Monday.
At times, the two protests were separated only by a single street and an insufficient number of police officers.
The mood was aggressive. After a time, most of the journalists covering the event pulled out of the city center for safety reasons.
The police used water cannons in an attempt to pacify the situation.
The demonstrations were triggered by the murder of a 35-year-old German early on Sunday morning. Arrest warrants have been issued against two suspects from Syria and one from Iraq.
Criminal Foreigners Get Out! reads this banner. Thousands of people marched through the streets of Chemnitz on Sunday and again on Monday, including many right-wing extremists.
The number of refugees and asylum seekers coming to Germany has plunged in the last two years, but anger remains high, particularly in places like Chemnitz where the share of foreigners is statistically quite low.
Not all of the protesters were right-wing extremists. But once darkness fell, the extremists began chasing migrants and journalists through the streets.
Counter-demonstrations were also large and included members of the Antifa.
Police had their hands full on Monday trying to keep the two sides apart. Not always with success.
