Six police officers were slightly injured
by stone-throwing protesters opposed to a rally by the far- right National
Democratic Party (NPD) on Saturday.
More than 2,000 demonstrators, members of an alliance against right-wing
extremism, took part in the protest in Altenburg, a town in the east German
state of Thuringia.
Police said they were able to prevent major clashes breaking out between the
demonstrators and around 1,200 participants in a "People's Festival"
organized by the anti-foreigner NPD.
There were minor scuffles as some left-wing demonstrators threw
stones and staged sit-down protests in an attempt to block the rally.
"The vast majority protested loudly, but in a peaceful manner against the
NPD gathering," a police spokesman said.
The protest was backed by local politicians from the
mainstream political parties as well as the Protestant church, trade unions and
cultural organizations.
The NDP, seen by many in Germany as a neo-Nazi organization, has
legislative seats in two of the 16 German states but no representation at
federal level, dpa reported.