According to Leipzig police chief Rene Demmler, 50 police officers were injured in the riots after demonstrators attacked responding officers with stones, glass bottles, fireworks, and incendiary devices, as they attempted to clear the area, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reports.
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Demmler said that law enforcement made around 30 arrests, with another 40 to 50 individuals detained. Those detained were released on Sunday afternoon.
A video posted to Twitter by German journalist Jan Karon shows a large group of black block Antifa militants throwing objects at police as sirens rang out with fires set ablaze in the streets. According to Karon, around 80 to 100 demonstrators set fire to the barricades, and then carried out a coordinated attack on police.
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On Sunday, German interior minister Nancy Faeser denounced the violent attacks in a statement and called for protesters to be held accountable for their actions towards police.
"Nothing justifies the senseless violence of left-wing extremist chaos and rioters," Faeser said. "Anyone who throws stones, bottles or incendiary devices at police officers must be held accountable."
The violent riots came as a response to the conviction of 28-year-old Lina E, who was sentenced on Wednesday in Dresden state court to five years and three months in prison on charges of serious bodily harm and membership in a criminal organization. National privacy laws prevent the release of the woman's full last name to the public, DPA reports.
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The court revealed a few hours after the hearing that Lina, who spent two and a half years in custody before the verdict, was released under unspecified conditions.
Three men that acted alongside Lina were also charged in Dresden court and were sentenced to between 27 months and 39 months in prison.
Court documents show that prosecutors accused Lina of "militant extreme-left ideology" after carrying out attacks on individuals presumed to have far-right ideologies in Leipzig and surrounding towns in 2019. Three men allegedly joined Lina in the orchestrated attacks that involved the use of weapons, including hammers, iron bars, and bats.
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Following the verdict, protests erupted in numerous eastern German cities, including Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, which led to authorities banning protests over the guilty verdict. The city of Leipzig had also banned protests before the violent riot occurred on Saturday night, which brought around 1500 protesters to the city, the outlet reports.
Despite the ban, another round of protests is planned in Leipzig for Sunday evening, according to DPA.
