Thousands of people have marched in the streets of the German city of Dresden to send a message of welcome to refugees, after a string of violent anti-migrant protests in the region.
Led by protesters holding a huge banner that read "Prevent the pogroms of tomorrow today", the crowds marched peacefully through the eastern city under the watch of police in riot gear.
"Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here," they chanted.
Police said 1,000 people joined the protest, which was called by the Anti-Nazi Alliance, while organisers put the numbers at 5,000.
Dresden is the stronghold of the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement, whose demonstrations drew up to 25,000 at the start of the year.
The eastern state of Saxony, of which Dresden is the capital, has suffered a series of ugly anti-migrant protests, with the government saying Friday it was sending police reinforcements to the state.
"We're here because what is happening in Germany, particularly in Saxony, is unbearable," Eva Mendl, a teacher who was among the demonstrators, told AFP.
"Hating refugees, who live here because they can no longer live at home, because they have been through a war ... that shouldn't happen in a rich country," she added.
AFP
