Chaos & fights with police in German city after hundreds, incl. far-right protest death of native

Police called in reinforcements as hundreds of protesters, including far-right activists, hit the streets in the German city of Chemnitz after the death of a native in a brawl. Two suspects, a Syrian and an Iraqi, were detained.

The right-wing “Kaotic Chemnitz” (Chaotic Chemnitz) football fan group is said to have called for the Sunday rally, which later turned violent.

The demo came after news broke that a 35-year-old German man was fatally stabbed during a fight involving 10 people. Two other men in their 30s, both German, were also injured during the brawl. 

The altercation happened at 3:15 AM, and is said to have been caused by a verbal argument. The police had initially refused to name the nationalities of the other men involved, but later said that they were “of various nationalities.”

The two suspects were later confirmed to be an Iraqi national and a Syrian national. On Monday, a court issued arrest warrants for them, following a request from prosecutors. The investigation into a motive for the attack and a search for the murder weapon is ongoing.

During the Sunday rally, some of the protesters were hurling bottles at officers. As the situation escalated Chemnitz police had to call for reinforcements from Leipzig and Dresden to control the crowd.

It emerged that some of the protesters vented their anger at migrants, local media reported. The “self-justice” was condemned by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesperson, who said that “hounding of people who look different” was unacceptable.

The protests coincided with a week-long street festival, which was abruptly cut short by several hours due to the violence. There were also reports of locals attacking bystanders whom they considered to be of non-German origin.

The street violence was condemned by local authorities. The mayor of Chemnitz, Barbara Ludwig, said she was “horrified” by events.

Right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) organized a separate rally which took place without incident and had 100 people attending. Residents also brought flowers in memory of the dead man.

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