According to police sources, more than 2,000 anti-Nazi protesters staged a large counter-protest in Berlin’s Kreuzberg on Saturday and tried to stop a small march by supporters of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) in the city’s western neighborhood.
The far-right demonstrators could only advance a couple of hundred meters before their path was blocked by the counter-protest, which was participated by left-wingers, trade unions and ordinary citizens.
However, the counter-rally turned violent when clashes broke out between the leftist protesters and police in the area. The left-wing demonstrators reportedly threw stones and bottles at the security guards, injuring several of them.
Thomas Neuendorf, Berlin police spokesman, said “numerous policemen were injured and arrests were made” during the violent protest.
“We ran into a lot of disruptions staged by the counter-protesters. We witnessed stones and bottles thrown at police, pyrotechnics were employed and things were set on fire,” added the officer.
According to the German security services, the NPD party has a racist and xenophobic agenda.
Berlin’s Kreuzberg district is known for hosting a large immigrant community and second-generation immigrants, mostly of Turkish origins.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
