World Bulletin/News Desk

Around 800 far-right extremists protested the construction of a refugee hostel by shouting racist slogans on Saturday. 

Some 3,000 leftists and anti-fascists held counter-demonstrations and shouted anti-racist slogans, such as "Nazis' out" and "We are here, we will fight, freedom is everybody's right."

The far-right extremist groups held a banner with the slogan "asylum care, no thanks" in addition to shouting racist chants. 

The two demonstrations walked around a kilometer side-by-side, accompanied by police. 

For a moment, the distance between the two counter-demonstrators decreased by two meters and the demonstrators threw bottles, fireworks and stones at each other. 

Around 1,700 policemen then intervened with pepper spray. 

Berlin police spokesman Stefan Redlich told The Anadolu Agency that three policemen were wounded during the rally.

He added that "There was no large-scale violence during the rally because policemen carried out their duty to the demonstrators."