German city declares 'Nazi emergency' as far-right violence and extremism increases

A German city has officially declared a "Nazi emergency" after seeing an increase in far-right extremism.

Councillors in Dresden said they passed the resolution to protect minorities against dangerous views and rising violence.

Officials became uneasy when far-right groups like PEGIDA and Alternative for Germany gained more support in the city, Deutsche Welle reported.

Die Partei councillor Max Aschenbach, whose party brought forward the resolution, said: "We have a Nazi problem in Dresden and have to do something about it."

He added in an interview with the BBC: "'Nazinotstand' means - similar to the climate emergency - that we have a serious problem. The open democratic society is threatened."

The resolution won cross-party support, with members of the Greens, Left Party, Social Democrats and Free Democrats backing it.

The policy statement said: "Anti-democratic, anti-pluralist, misanthropic and right-wing extremist attitudes and actions, including violence in Dresden, are occurring with increasing frequency".

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But the centre-right Christian Democrats, which Chancellor Angela Merkel belongs to, voted against it.

Several far-right demonstrations were held in Chemnitz, located near Dresden, when a German man was stabbed following a fight with two immigrants who were seeking asylum.

Reports of a rise in crime committed by migrants have also stoked tensions in the region.