Riot over refugees in eastern German town leaves 31 police hurt

At least 31 German police officers were hurt in scuffles with about 600 protesters, many hurling bottles and stones, angry about the arrival of asylum seekers in an eastern German town in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

In one of the country's biggest demonstrations against the influx of refugees, police in Heidenau, near Dresden, used pepper spray on right-wing demonstrators who were trying to stop busloads of asylum seekers reach their accommodation.

The outbreak of violence by right-wing radicals followed a peaceful demonstration of some 1,000 people against the roughly 250 refugees, said police.

"In the end, the police brought the situation under control. The buses with the asylum seekers were led to the ... shelter," Dresden police said in a statement.

Media reported that the violence erupted after far-right radicals, many belonging to the National Democratic Party (NPD), who are inspired by Hitler's Nazis, took over the demonstration.

Television pictures showed people carrying banners with the slogan "Stop the asylum flood!" and shouting "Foreigners out!".............

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