German investigators say Chemnitz attack video is genuine

Prosecutors investigating a farright demonstration in Germany said yesterday there was no evidence that a video of protesters chasing down and attacking a foreigner was fake, as stated by the country’s domestic intelligence chief.

Dresden prosecutor Wolfgang Klein told Die Zeit newspaper that the video was part of evidence his office was using in their investigation.

The protest on August 26 drew hundreds in Chemnitz, Saxony, angered by the stabbing death of a German man.

An Iraqi and a Syrian have been arrested on charges of manslaughter in the stabbing, which authorities said happened after an exchange of words.

Several migrants were hurt in the protests, and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said foreigners had been targeted and “hunted” by the far-right.

Mrs Merkel condemned the “hate on the streets”.

But on Friday, the head of the country’s domestic spy agency, Hans-Georg Maassen, told Bild newspaper he doubted that farright protesters in Chemnitz had “hunted” foreigners down and questioned the authenticity of the video.

“I share the scepticism about media reports on right-wing extremists hunting down people in Chemnitz,” he said, adding that a video was circulating showing the footage could have been faked.

Zeit newspaper reported that it examined the clip and video shot shortly before on the mobile phone on which it was filmed and confirmed it was from the August 26 protest.

Many have questioned Mr Maassen’s motives for his remarks, and yesterday Patrick Sensburg, Mrs Merkel’s party’s intelligence expert, said he would be taken before the parliamentary intelligence committee to explain.

“Maassen will now have to explain how he came to his assessment and why he made it known in the media,” Mr Sensburg told the Handelsblatt newspaper. “If it is based upon classified evidence, he will have the opportunity to present it to lawmakers in the parliamentary panel next week.”

The day after the killing, about 6,000 people took to the streets in Chemnitz in a protest that brought together neo-Nazis, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party and other Germans concerned about crimes committed by migrants.

There were scattered clashes with a smaller group of rival demonstrators.

Later right-wing demonstrations have dwindled in size, most recently when 2,350 marched Friday night in a rally that was mainly peaceful.

At the same time, about 1,000 marched in a counter demonstration and more than 5,000 attended a free open-air performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 held under the motto “against xenophobia, hate and violence”.

Hans-Georg Maassen may face parliamentary scrutiny after his remarks about the recording