Around 8,000 people gathered on Saturday in
the German city Kassel to protest against far-right extremism seven
weeks after the killing of local politician Walter Luebcke.
The protesters had gathered for three separate demonstrations against
a planned far-right rally, police said Saturday morning.
The far-right protesters planned to rally against what they say is an
attempt to use Luebcke's killing in order to unfairly paint them as
violent.
However, police said the far-right protesters had not arrived by
noon, when the rally was supposed to begin.
The demonstration was scheduled to take place after a court denied
attempts to ban it earlier this week.
Police earlier said they expected up to 500 far-right protesters, and
several thousand counter-protesters. After calls for violence began
circulating online, police prepared for a major operation, and have
completely cordoned off the area around the far-right protesters'
meeting point.
Walter Luebcke, a local politician in Kassel, was fatally shot at his
home on June 2.
He had become the target of threats for supporting Chancellor Angela
Merkel's refugee policies. Prosecutors say Luebcke's death was a
politically motivated murder linked to right-wing extremism.
Members of far-right identitarian movement demonstrate in Halle, Germany,