In the German city of Cologne counter-demonstrators have interrupted the start of a far-right conference by forcing its organisers to stay put on a cruise boat on the river Rhine for hours.
Police arrested eight demonstrators who threw stones and paint projectiles. They also barred the far-right from a bus tour of Cologne's multi-ethnic neighbourhoods. Government and church officials have condemned the so-called "anti-Islamisation" weekend congress. The far-right group calling itself "Pro-Kцln" plans a rally on Saturday against the building of a large new mosque. Police say they expect up to 40,000 counter-demonstrators. On Friday the integration minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state Armin Laschet joined hundreds of pro-mosque sympathisers outside an existing Turkish mosque in Cologne's suburb of Ehrenfeld.
(Deutsche Welle)
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