German Police Used Water Cannons on Protesters Opposed to a Neo-Nazi March

German police fired water cannons to disperse stone-throwing protesters who tried to block a march by neo-Nazi activists in Leipzig on Saturday.

About 1,000 anti-fascist protesters reportedly set fire to trash bins and wooden barricades to prevent 200 supporters of small neo-Nazi groups, including the local branch of the anti-refugee group PEGIDA and the neo-nazi party Die Rechte, from marching in the city. The counter-protesters set up burning barricades, threw rocks, and smashed windows, according to local news media.

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Police said several people were hurt in the violence and the situation remains tense. They did not say whether those injured were civilians or policemen.

Officers trying to keep the demonstrators apart came under attack from the larger leftist crowd, police said.

Leipzig and Dresden, another eastern city, have witnessed several demonstrations by anti-immigrant groups to protest Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door asylum policy. Such protests were often met with counter demonstrations.

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More than 1 million asylum seekers are expected to arrive in Germany this year.

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