At least nine people have been injured in rival rallies by right-wingers and counter-demonstrators in the eastern German city of Chemnitz, police say.
At least 25 criminal offences were registered, among them wilful damage to property, bodily harm, resisting arrest and the use of insignia of banned organisations.
The far-right march on Saturday to protest the death about a week ago of a German man - possibly at the hands of foreigners - ground to a halt and was ended early after counter-protesters blocked the march's progress along the agreed demonstration route.
Police said that a group of about 4500 marchers got off to a late start and then could only inch ahead due to interference from about 3500 counter-demonstrators.
Scuffles were reported between demonstrators and police when the right-wing rally was broken off earlier than scheduled at the city's Karl Marx statue.
"Our units were at times forced to use direct force," Saxony police said in a tweet.
Away from the separate rallies by right-wingers and counter-demonstrators, a 20-year-old Afghan man was attacked and slightly injured. Police described his attackers as four unidentified persons who had covered their faces.
Once the right-wing march was over, many protesters from both sides initially refused to leave the area. Police boosted their presence and brought in water cannon as night fell.
But officials later reported that demonstrators had left the scene and were leaving the city peacefully.
About 1800 police officers were deployed in the city on Saturday.
Chemnitz has become a flashpoint for the debate about foreigners in German society after the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old man on August 26. Two men - one Iraqi, the other Syrian - have been arrested in the case.
Police have kept a tight lid on details, but rumours - including the now debunked claim that the victim had been protecting a German woman from the attackers - have prompted rage among some parts of the city's native population.
The last week has seen multiple marches organised by right-wing groups and reports of people taken to be foreigners being attacked throughout the city. While one side argues for multiculturalism, the other argues that unbridled immigration has made Germany less safe.
What started off as two separate right-wing marches on Saturday merged when the smaller, local Pro Chemnitz group ended their march after half an hour, with about 1500 participants opting to join a march organized by the national Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the anti-Islam Pegida movement.
Many waved banners reading "Wir sind das Volk" (We are the people) and "Merkel muss weg" (Merkel has to go).
The counter-rally opposing violence and xenophobia had assembled near the city's St John's Church. Slogans included "Chemnitz Nazifrei" (A Nazi-Free Chemnitz) and "Herz statt Hetze" (Have a Heart, not Hostility).
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