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Leipzig (AP) - Several hundred people took to the streets in downtown Leipzig against the violence in the Middle East on Saturday.
According to the police, up to 500 people took part in a “pro-Palestine” demonstration.
According to estimates, they faced around 200 participants in a “Pro Israel” rally.
At first, the mood was briefly heated, between the two sides, some demonstrators had fights of words, said a police spokesman.
However, the situation has not escalated any further and has calmed down.
Demonstrations were also planned in other German cities on Saturday.
The reason for the protest was the escalating violence and the day of the «Nakba» (catastrophe), which the Palestinians celebrate on May 15th.
They commemorate the displacement and flight of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the course of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
In the past few days there had been anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli demonstrations in several German cities.
Israel flags were lit and some anti-Semitic slogans were chanted.
The protection of Jewish institutions in Germany has since been tightened.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210515-99-609006 / 2