2018 Chemnitz protests

Chemnitz was named Karl-Marx-Stadt when it was part of East Germany, from 1953 to 1990. In 2017, almost a quarter of the city's residents voted in elections for the right wing to far right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

In 2015, the German borders remained open during the European migrant crisis, and nearly 1 million migrants applied for asylum by the end of 2016. Over 12% of the German population is foreign-born;{{Cite web|url=https://data.oecd.org/migration/foreign-born-population.htm|title=Migration - Foreign-born population - OECD Data|website=theOECD|language=en|access-date=15 September 2018}} some German people are suspicious or wary of immigrants, and a few hold anti-immigration sentiments.{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/0e2f9eae-9970-11e7-a652-cde3f882dd7b|title=Election tests German compassion for migrants|last=Chazan |first=Guy |date=19 September 2017 |website=Financial Times|accessdate=28 August 2018}}{{subscription required}}

At 3:15{{nbsp}}am on Sunday 26 August, a brawl erupted in the street of Brückenstraße in Chemnitz. According to police, the fight was between "several people of various nationalities."{{cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/far-right-vigilantes-hunting-down-migrants-in-germany-after-mans-death-11483681 |title=Far-right vigilantes 'hunting down' migrants in Germany after man's death|date=27 August 2018 |website=Sky News|accessdate=28 August 2018}} Up to 10 people were at the scene."[http://www.lvz.de/Region/Polizeiticker/Chemnitz-Polizei-dementiert-Geruechte-ueber-zweites-Todesopfer Faktencheck zu Chemnitzer Todesfall: Täter handelten nicht in Notwehr]". Leipziger Volkszeitung. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018. Three of them were stabbed and seriously injured; one of the three, Daniel Hillig, later died in the hospital.

Daniel Hillig, who was stabbed and died in the hospital, was a 35-year-old German carpenter, the son of a German mother and a Cuban father. He had a seven year-old son, and a wife.{{cite news |last1=Steven Geyer |title=In Chemnitz, Daniel H. becomes a political figure |url=https://www.ksta.de/politik/vereinnahmung-des-opfers-in-chemnitz-wird-daniel-h--zur-politischen-figur-31180424 |accessdate=19 January 2019 |work=KÖLNER STADT-ANZEIGER |date=28 August 2018 |language=de |quote=So one learns that he grew up in Chemnitz - on Facebook he calls the city by her GDR name Karl Marx City - that he leaves a wife and a seven-year-old son according to media reports}} Hillig, who grew up in Chemnitz, was apparently well-known by many people and various political groups in the city.{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/violence-in-chemnitz-as-leftist-and-far-right-protesters-clash/a-45250620 |last=Knight |first=Ben |title=Violence in Chemnitz as leftist and far-right protesters clash|date=27 August 2018 |website=Deutsche Welle DW|accessdate=28 August 2018}}

The two other people who were seriously injured were Russia Germans (that is, ethnic Germans born in Russia and repatriated to Germany).

At the location where Hillig was stabbed, a large memorial was set up, where people gathered to mourn.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/far-right-demonstrators-extra-police-chemnitz-violence-a8509991.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/far-right-demonstrators-extra-police-chemnitz-violence-a8509991.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Murder in German city leads to far-right demonstrators calling for more protestors on streets|date=27 August 2018 |website=The Independent|accessdate=28 August 2018}}{{cbignore}} Hillig was a football supporter of Chemnitzer FC, and some have speculated that this might have contributed to the strong fan reaction; the Chemnitzer fan club representative and local politician Peggy Schellenberg (SPD) visited the crime scene immediately on Sunday."[https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/chemnitz-opfer-daniel-h-war-weder-hooligan-noch-afd-anhaenger-15760347-p2.html Daniel H. war weder Hooligan noch AfD-Anhänger]". Frankfurter Allgemeine. 28 August 2018.

Suspects include a 23-year-old Kurdish Syrian and a 22-year-old Kurdish Iraqi, who were taken into custody near the scene."[https://www.stern.de/panorama/stern-crime/chemnitz--mann-stirbt-nach-messerstecherei-in-der-innenstadt-8228206.html Blutiger Streit nach Stadtfest: ein Toter und mehrere Verletzte]". Stern.de. The German district court issued an arrest warrant for them on 27 August."[https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Haftbefehle-nach-Messerstecherei-beantragt-article20593168.html Haftbefehle nach Messerstecherei beantragt]". n-tv.de. The same day, the prosecutors said that the two men were suspected of having stabbed Hillig several times "with no justifiable reason." One of these suspects was named in the days after the attack as Yousif Ibrahim Abdullah from Bashiqa, and the arrest warrant for him was leaked in multiple newspapers on 28 August, which went against German privacy regulations.{{Cite news|url=https://morgenzeitung.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/haftbefehl-aus-chemnitz/|title=Haftbefehl aus Chemnitz|access-date=28 August 2018|work=morgenzeitung.wordpress.com|language=de-DE}}{{cite web|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/video181345312/Nach-Toetung-eines-35-Jaehrigen-Haftbefehl-aus-Chemnitz-taucht-im-Netz-auf.html|title=Nach Tötung eines 35-Jährigen: Haftbefehl aus Chemnitz taucht im Netz auf|date=29 August 2018|publisher=Die Welt. welt.de}} Abdullah was accused of stabbing Hillig five times, including the fatal hits to his pericardium and lung.{{clarify|date=August 2018}} The other suspect was identified as Alaa Sheikhi, although his motivations have yet to be revealed.

Yousif Abdullah has a criminal record with six offences, which include fraud and drug possession. He was most recently sentenced in July 2018 to a suspended sentence of eight months for dangerous bodily harm. He came to Germany in 2015 via the Balkans and was to be deported in 2016 to Bulgaria, where he had first applied for asylum, but a six-month deadline for the deportation was missed by the German authorities."[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/chemnitz-mutmasslicher-taeter-yousif-a-sollte-abgeschoben-werden-a-1225820.html Mutmaßlicher Täter Yousif A. sollte abgeschoben werden]". Der Spiegel. 30 August 2018. His application for asylum was rejected,{{clarify|date=September 2018|Which application for asylum? It's clearly not the one in 2016, but also seems to be referring to this at it assumes the reader knows to which application it's referring}} but he won in the legal proceedings afterwards; he used an alleged love affair as the justification for this later rejected application for asylum, saying that the brother and uncle of a girl he was in love with had beaten him up and injured him with a knife. Three days after the stabbing of Hillig, his application for asylum was rejected again."[https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article181374262/Chemnitz-Yousif-A-legte-beim-Asylverfahren-angeblich-gefaelschte-Papiere-vor.html Yousif A. soll BAMF gefälschte Papiere vorgelegt haben]". Die Welt. 31 August 2018. He has also used two different identities and forged documents, during the asylum proceedings. He was known for always carrying a knife with him."[https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article181358302/Tatverdaechtiger-aus-Chemnitz-Yousif-A-war-mehrfach-vorbestraft.html Yousif A. war mehrfach vorbestraft]". Die Welt. 30 August 2018."[https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/medienberichte-ueber-yousif-ibrahim-a-mutmasslicher-taeter-von-chemnitz-war-vorbestraft-und-trug-immer-ein-messer-bei-sich_id_9497510.html Messer bei sich, viele Vorstrafen, Drogen: Das ist der mutmaßliche Täter von Chemnitz]". Focus. 30 August 2018.

Police in Saxony announced on 4 September that they were "urgently" seeking a third suspect in the murder, Farhad Ramazan Ahmad, listing him as a 22-year-old Iraqi citizen who was possibly armed and dangerous.{{cite news |last1=Schumacher |first1=Elizabeth |title=Police search for third Chemnitz murder suspect |url=https://www.dw.com/en/police-search-for-third-chemnitz-murder-suspect/a-45354996 |accessdate=7 September 2018 |agency=DW |date=4 September 2018}}

The festival during which the stabbing happened ended earlier than planned because of the stabbing. It was on this day that protests began in the city."[https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/sachsen-demonstranten-marschieren-nach-messerstecherei-durch-chemnitz/22955724.html Demonstranten marschieren nach Messerstecherei durch Chemnitz]". Tagesspiegel."[https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/messerattacke-in-chemnitz-hunderte-demonstrieren-in-innenstadt-15756928.html Hunderte demonstrieren in Chemnitzer Innenstadt]". Frankfurter Allgemeine. Chancellor Angela Merkel's office condemned the demonstration on Twitter.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45320382|title=Merkel condemns 'vigilantes' after murder|date=27 August 2018 |work=BBC News|access-date=27 August 2018 |language=en-GB}} German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) expressed his condolences to Hillig's family. Seehofer said that the "consternation" of the people was "understandable," but on the other hand he condemned the violence. He also stated that the local police were in a "difficult situation," and offered Federal Police help to Saxony."[https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Seehofer-bietet-Sachsen-Verstaerkung-an-article20594858.html Seehofer bietet Sachsen Verstärkung an]". n-tv.de.

One German politician, Martina Renner (Die Linke), accused right-wing people of exploiting the apparent murder to their own political ends, also reminding people that in the days following the attack, the motivation was still unclear.

On 31 August 2018, Franziska Giffey, German Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, visited the crime scene of the stabbing, being the first member of the German federal government to do so.[https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/chemnitz-kretschmer-111.html Giffey besucht Chemnitz], Tagesschau.de, 31 August 2018 The media asked why Merkel "sent the Family Affairs Minister" on such an errand."[https://www.bild.de/politik/inland/politik-inland/fuenf-tage-nach-bluttat-in-chemnitz-besucht-franziska-giffey-den-tatort-warum-sc-56981480.bild.html Warum schickt Merkel die Familienministerin?]". Bild. 31 August 2018.

Friends of the victim criticised the police in Chemnitz for their "failure to control the three-day city festival." Some of the leftist protesters used slogans that criticised police for not being there when Hillig was stabbed but appearing at the protests, with journalists noting that there had been fighting before the attack at the festival.

There were several rumours circulating after the stabbing, including that the attack was in response to sexual harassment, and that another of the injured men had died. Chemnitz police took to social media to stop these. It was reported that the misinformation and inability to stop its spread contributed to the strength of the riots.

The politician {{Interlanguage link|Kerstin Köditz|de}} said that the police took too long to react, and questioned how they didn't have any action or even a plan to put into action once they knew that somebody had been killed at a festival.

Police arrested a 22-year-old Iraqi national and a 23-year-old Kurdish Syrian on suspicions of manslaughter.{{cite web|title=What to Know About Violent Anti-Migrant Protests in the German City of Chemnitz |first=Billy |last=Perrigo |url=https://time.com/5380161/protests-chemnitz-germany-migration/ |accessdate=27 January 2020 |agency=AP |magazine=Time |date=28 August 2018}} A special prosecutor charged with handling extremism in Saxony was given charge of the case.{{cite news |last1=Eddy |first1=Melissa |title=German Far Right and Counterprotesters Clash in Chemnitz |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/world/europe/chemnitz-protest-germany.html |accessdate=30 August 2018 |newspaper=New York Times |date=28 August 2018}} The prosecutor in Chemnitz rejected any claims that the suspects were acting in self-defense."[https://www.freiepresse.de/chemnitz/staatsanwaltschaft-chemnitz-verdaechtige-handelten-nicht-in-notwehr-artikel10297137 Staatsanwaltschaft Chemnitz: Verdächtige handelten nicht in Notwehr]". Freie Presse. 28 August 2018. In March 2019, court proceedings commenced in the Chemnitzer Landgericht.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/de/chemnitz-wer-t%C3%B6tete-daniel-h/a-47939242|title=Chemnitz: Wer tötete Daniel H.? |date=18 March 2019|website=DW.COM|language=de-DE|access-date=2019-03-18}}

In August 2019, 24-year-old Kurdish Syrian national Alaa S. was declared guilty of murder and bodily harm and sentenced to nine years and six months prison time. For security reasons, the verdict was announced in a building belonging to the Higher Regional Court of Dresden.{{Cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/chemnitz-urteil-nach-messerstecherei-alaa-s-muss-9-5-jahre-ins-gefaengnis-a-1283104.html|title=Neuneinhalb Jahre Gefängnis: Messerangriff in Chemnitz - Hohe Haftstrafe für Alaa S.|date=2019-08-22|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=2019-08-26}}

File:Demonstration Chemnitz 2018-08-27.jpg

As a response to the stabbing, far right groups protested against migrants and refugees coming to Germany. Leftist groups began counter-protests nearby.

The first protest was organized by the right wing party Alternative for Germany on the afternoon of the stabbing. The protest was relatively small, consisting of about 100 people, and it finished without any violence.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45324804|title=Germany migrants: Protesters face off in Chemnitz|work=BBC News |date=27 August 2018 |accessdate=August 28, 2018}} Later in the evening, another protest was organized by individuals belonging to the right-wing Kaotic Chemnitz group.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/27/german-police-brace-second-day-violence-far-right-protests-chemnitz |title=German police brace themselves for second day of violence after far-Right protests in Chemnitz |website=The Telegraph|date=27 August 2018 |accessdate=August 28, 2018 |last1=Young-Powell |first1=Abby }} This protest became violent, and the group also incited individuals to attack and harass foreigners and people who appeared to be non-ethnic Germans. The rioters attacked police officers who were deployed to calm the protests. There were also more demonstrations announced by both leftist and right-wing groups. The riots and protests continued into the next day, with the Pro Chemnitz right-wing populist group organizing a large protest. This initially included about 800 people gathered at the city's iconic Karl Marx monument.{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/anti-fascists-clash-east-german-town-chemnitz-180828060442094.html |title=Far-right, anti-fascists clash in east German town of Chemnitz|website=aljazeera.com}} Deutsche Welle reported that the size of this group quickly expanded into the thousands, and grew less peaceful. Police estimated that the protesters numbered approximately 6,000.[https://www.freiepresse.de/chemnitz/chemnitzer-polizei-zieht-bilanz-rund-7500-demonstranten-600-einsatzkraefte-20-verletzte-artikel10297173 Chemnitzer Polizei zieht Bilanz: Rund 7500 Demonstranten, 600 Einsatzkräfte, 20 Verletzte], Freie Presse As the right-wing protest grew, a counter-protest, consisting of about 1,500 people, began on the other side of the square. Initially, the two main protesting groups were a short distance from each other, separated by a group of 600 riot police.

The protests became violent at around 9 p.m. local time on Monday, 27 August, when the protesters began to actively demonstrate and move. Masked protesters from both sides began to throw solid objects and fireworks, with some far wing protesters also performing the Nazi salute. At least twenty people were injured. An extensive police force equipped with water cannons was deployed and a second set of demonstrators belonging to the far left were kept at a distance by police.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2018/08/27/allemagne-nouveau-rassemblement-de-l-extreme-droite-apres-une-chasse-aux-etrangers_5346810_3214.html?xtmc=chemnitz&xtcr=1|title=Allemagne : nouveau rassemblement de l'extrême droite après une " chasse " aux étrangers|work=Le Monde.fr|access-date=2018-08-27|language=fr-FR}} The rioters had reportedly calmed down by Tuesday morning, but far-right groups encouraged people to continue protesting.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}

The anti-immigration group, calling themselves Pro Chemnitz, carried banners with right-wing slogans during the protest. Some of the banners showed pictures of murder victims, among which was the photo of murdered student Sophia Lösche which led to her family initiating legal action against those who used her picture to further a political agenda.{{Cite news|url=https://global.handelsblatt.com/politics/german-murder-victims-sophia-loesche-far-right-970428|title=The German murder victim's family taking on the far-right |date=2018-10-09|work=Handelsblatt Global Edition|access-date=2018-11-17|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.onetz.de/deutschland-welt/chemnitz-sophia-loesches-bild-afd-pegida-id2481662.html|title=Chemnitz: Sophia Lösches Bild bei AfD und Pegida|access-date=2018-11-17|language=de}} There were also reports of Neo-Nazi groups taking part, which included The III. Path, the National Democratic Party of Germany,{{Cite news|url=https://www.freiepresse.de/chemnitz/chemnitz-im-ausnahmezustand-der-tag-nach-dem-toedlichen-messerangriff-artikel10296513|date=28 August 2018 |first1=Johannes |last1=Pöhlandt |first2=Michael |last2=Müller |first3=Jana |last3=Peters |first4=Mandy |last4=Fischer |title=Chemnitz im Ausnahmezustand - Der Tag nach dem tödlichen Messerangriff|work=Freie Presse|access-date=29 August 2018|language=de-DE}}{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2161740/germany-reels-far-right-mobs-go-rampage-after-fatal-stabbing |title=Far-right 'mobs' go on rampage in Germany after fatal stabbing|newspaper=South China Morning Post}} the Die Rechte, some Freie Kameradschaften groups, the Junge Nationalisten, Autonome Nationalisten,{{cite web|url=https://www.morgenpost.de/politik/article215199525/War-die-Polizei-in-Chemnitz-mit-der-Situation-ueberfordert.html|title=War die Polizei in Chemnitz mit der Situation überfordert?|website=The Berliner Morgenpost|date=28 August 2018 |accessdate=August 30, 2018}} as well as other right-wing to far-right groups like the NS-Boys, the Faust des Ostens, Inferno,{{Cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article181342196/Rechtsextreme-Ausschreitungen-Die-unheimliche-Mobilisierung-der-Neonazis-in-Chemnitz.html|title=Die unheimliche Mobilisierung der Neonazis in Chemnitz|work=Die Welt|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE}} and other right-wing organisations like Wir sind Kandel, Pegida, Wir für Deutschland,{{Cite news|url=https://www.sz-online.de/sachsen/wie-es-zu-den-jagdszenen-in-chemnitz-kam-4002937.html|title=Wie es zu den Jagdszenen in Chemnitz kam|work=Süddeutsche Zeitung|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830004928/https://www.sz-online.de/sachsen/wie-es-zu-den-jagdszenen-in-chemnitz-kam-4002937.html|archive-date=30 August 2018|url-status=dead}} Bündnis Zukunft Hildburghausen,{{Cite news|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/themen/reportage/ausschreitungen-in-chemnitz-ein-hochgefaehrliches-braunes-netzwerk/22968412-2.html|title=Sachsens rechter Moment|work=Der Tagesspiegel|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE}} The Republicans,{{Cite news|url=https://www.stern.de/panorama/gesellschaft/-pro-chemnitz---pegida---kaotic---die-rechten-krawallmacher-von-chemnitz-8230770.html|title="Kaotic", Pegida, "Pro Chemnitz": Das sind die rechten Krawallmacher von Chemnitz|work=Stern|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE}} the German Social Union,{{Cite news|url=https://www.facebook.com/DSU.Sachsen/posts/2412131145480491|title=Chemnitz zeigt Haltung Frau Magwas! Mit Nazikeule ist hier nichts mehr zu machen|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE}} the Sächsische Volkspartei,{{Cite news|url=https://www.facebook.com/saechsische.volkspartei/posts/2075170869465380|title=Liebe Chemnitzer, es ist nicht nur eure Stadt, es ist unser Sachsen und unser Land!|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE}} the Reichsbürger movement and the Identitarian movement. Leftist groups carried banners, including ones accusing some of the right-wing parties of being Nazis.{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/fresh-dueling-protests-break-out-in-chemnitz/a-45242473|title=Fresh dueling protests break out in Chemnitz|website=Deutsche Welle DW|date=27 August 2018 |accessdate=28 August 2018}} Several protests marched down Brückenstraße, the wide street dividing the city centre. Many shops in this area are run by Middle Eastern people, and closed on the day of the demonstrations. The Brückenstraße is also where the murder took place, and a small shrine erected at the site was left untouched. Police called in reinforcements from Leipzig and Dresden. When the media began filming the rioters, some of the protestors shouted "Lügenpresse", a largely Nazi-era term that holds roughly the same meaning as the term "fake news."

On 30 August, a more peaceful rally organized by Pro Chemnitz took place near the Chemnitzer FC arena, and was attended by up to 900 people. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, accompanied by other state and local politicians, held a "consultation hour" in the arena, which was attended by 550 citizens.[https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/chemnitz/chemnitz-stollberg/ticker-sachsen-donnerstag-chemnitz-demos-102.html Polizei: Lage in Chemnitz ruhig und störungsfrei geblieben], mdr.de At the front of the 1 September rallies, protesters carried the photo of Susanna Feldmann.{{cite magazine |first=Yascha |last=Mounk |authorlink=Yascha Mounk |title=How a Teen's Death Has Become a Political Weapon |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/28/how-a-teens-death-has-become-a-political-weapon |accessdate=11 February 2019 |magazine=The New Yorker |quote=At the front of the march, a man was carrying a large poster of a teen-ager with a round face, dark eyes, and a melancholy smile. The picture was framed by a black border in the style of a funeral notice, and captioned with the words "Susanna Feldmann Wiesbaden 2018." |date=28 January 2019}}

A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Steffen Seibert, denounced the protests, saying that the violence "has no place in [the] country," also saying that there is no place for "vigilantism, for groups that want to spread hatred on the streets, for intolerance and racism."{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/27/europe/germany-chemnitz-violence-intl/|title=German government condemns right-wing rioters|author1=Atika Shubert |author2=Nadine Schmidt |author3=Judith Vonberg|date=27 August 2018 |publisher=CNN}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/08/28/xenophobic-riots-erupt-eastern-germany-officials-investigate-killing-year-old-german/|title=Hitler salutes and fireworks as weapons: Right-wing violence rocks German city|first=|last=|newspaper=Washington Post}} He also said that they do not tolerate "unlawful assemblies." The mayor of Chemnitz, Barbara Ludwig, said that the protests were "terrible" and that she was "incensed" at the violence.

The federal government characterized people "hunting down" immigrants, and equally people attacking the hunters in retaliation, as "vigilante justice," which Seibert said did not belong in Germany. An attack against a Syrian immigrant in the town of Wismar was connected by the media with the violence in Chemnitz.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/germany-migrant-beaten-with-iron-chain-as-farright-violence-spreads-fkj6870tt|title=Germany: Migrant beaten with iron chain as far‑right violence spreads|website=The Times|date=30 August 2018|author=David Crossland}} However, the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, criticized the reporting on the "manhunt" and stated no such a thing had taken place.{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article181424984/Kretschmer-zu-Chemnitz-Gab-keinen-Mob-keine-Hetzjagd-keine-Pogrome.html|title=Es gab keinen Mob, keine Hetzjagd und keine Pogrome|newspaper=Die Welt|date=September 5, 2018|access-date=2018-09-05|language=de-DE}} On August 29, the Government of Saxony requested the help of the Federal Police.{{cite news|url=https://www.bild.de/news/2018/news/chemnitz-krawalle-sachsen-fordert-hilfe-der-bundespolizei-an-56949478.bild.html|title=Sachsen fordert Hilfe der Bundespolizei an|newspaper=Bild|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE}}{{cite web|url=https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/nach-den-vorfaellen-in-chemnitz-sachsen-fordert-bundespolizei-an-100.html|title=Sachsen fordert Bundespolizei an|publisher=heute|access-date=2018-08-29|language=de-DE}}

One of the vice presidents of the German Bundestag, Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP), claimed that Angela Merkel's dictum, "Wir schaffen das," was the "root of the violence" in Chemnitz. The SPD's chairwoman and the SPD's group leader in the Bundestag, Andrea Nahles, called this an "unbelievable statement by an experienced politician."[https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2018-08/sachsen-chemnitz-andrea-nahles-wolfgang-kubicki Wolfgang Kubicki wegen Aussagen zu Chemnitz in der Kritik], Zeit.de, 29 August 2018{{clarify|date=September 2018}} The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs supplemented its travel advice for Germany, telling people to "be careful in the vicinity of demonstrations, as riots are possible."{{cite web|title=Reisehinweise für Deutschland|periodical=Eda.admin.ch|publisher=|url=https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/de/home/vertretungen-und-reisehinweise/deutschland/reisehinweise-fuerdeutschland.html|accessdate=2018-08-31|last=|date=2018-05-01|language=|pages=|quote=}}{{cite web|title=Chemnitz: Schweiz gibt Reisewarnung für Deutschland aus|periodical=Spiegel Online|publisher=|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/chemnitz-schweiz-gibt-reisewarnung-fuer-deutschland-aus-a-1225896.html|accessdate=2018-08-31|last=|date=2018-08-31|language=|pages=|quote=}}

On 31 August 2018, the police said that the football match of the 2nd Bundesliga between Dynamo Dresden and Hamburger SV on 1 September 2018 should be cancelled.{{cite web|title=Polizei will Dynamo gegen HSV absagen!|periodical=Bild.de|publisher=|url=https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/fussball/wegen-demos-in-chemnitz-dynamo-dresden-gegen-hsv-soll-abgesagt-werden-56995124.bild.html|accessdate=2018-08-31|last=|date=2018-08-31|language=|pages=|quote=}} The DFL later confirmed in a statement that the game was canceled, at the discretion of the State Ministry of Interior.{{cite web|title=Verfügung des Staatsministeriums: Dresden vs. HSV abgesagt|periodical=|publisher=Kicker|url=https://www.kicker.de/verfuegung-des-staatsministeriums_dresden-vs-hsv-abgesagt-730815/artikel|access-date=2018-08-31|last=|date=2018-08-31|language=de|pages=|quote=}}

Although lacking the violence of the August protests, weekly far-right protests have continued in Chemnitz. Far-right groups have held weekly demonstrations on Fridays continuing to "denounce immigrants."{{Cite web|url=https://www.garda.com/crisis24/news-alerts/168791/germany-far-right-group-to-rally-in-chemnitz-october-26|title=Germany: Far-right group to rally in Chemnitz October 26|website=GardaWorld|language=en|access-date=2018-11-02}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/world/europe/germany-far-right-immigration-protests-chemnitz.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&smvar=fbfd-article|title=How the Far Right Is Shaking Germany's Political Order|work=The New York Times |date=31 October 2018 |access-date=2018-11-02|language=en}}

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Chemnitz

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