14,000 protesters took to the streets in Bielefeld on Saturday against a neo-Nazi march.
The right-wing extremists had called for the 81st anniversary of the National Socialist November pogroms to a sympathy rally for the multiple-sentenced Holocaust denier Ursula Haverbeck, 230 participants came.
It has the supporters of the party "The Rights" and the participants of a total of 14 counter-demos with numerous blocks kept apart, said a police spokeswoman. In total, eleven people were temporarily detained. Fourteen criminal cases were initiated, according to the police, among other things, for violation of the mummification ban.
The police were with about 1000 forces from all over North Rhine-Westphalia on the spot. It prohibited the right-wing statements that could incite hatred against sections of the population or disrupted public peace, and sent the chairman a list of banned slogans.
Trade unions, churches, associations and political parties have joined forces against the neo-Nazis under the motto "Fascism is not an opinion but a crime". Among the various demos there was also a bicycle parade.
At the end of September, the administrative court in Minden had received an order from police headquarters in Bielefeld to move the elevator over because of the "historically recorded anniversary" of the pogrom night. NRW Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul (CDU) had called the meeting "a disgrace" at the historical date and spoke of "pure provocation right spinner".
