Protests over killing in dispute between different nationalities
AUTHORITIES IN eastern Germany were bracing for rival protests amid tensions over the killing of a man in what police described as a dispute between “several people of various nationalities”.
Three men in their thirties were injured in the incident in Chemnitz early on Sunday, according to police.
A 35-year-old German citizen later died of his injuries.
Police said two men were detained but could not confirm if they were involved in the incident.
The killing sparked spontaneous protests by hundreds of people late on Sunday in Chemnitz, a city where almost a quarter voted for the far-right Alternative for Germany party last year.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show far-right protesters threatening and chasing passers-by during Sunday’s demonstration.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert condemned the violence. “What was seen yesterday in parts of Chemnitz and what was recorded on video has no place in our country,” he told reporters in Berlin on Monday.
“People ganging up, chasing people who look different from them or who come from else- where (...) is something we won’t tolerate,” he said.
“This has no place in our cities and I can say for the German government that we condemn this in the sharpest possible manner.”
Mr Seibert also criticised a farright politician who had suggested German authorities were unable to protect citizens.