German police clashed with counter-demonstrators in Cologne before authorities banned a right-wing nationalist group from staging a rally Saturday against plans to build a big mosque in the city. At least one officer was injured.
Some of the counter-demonstrators lunged for officers' pistols while others threw stones and firecrackers. The injured officer was hit by a firecracker. Police said they detained about five people.
Police forced the Pro-Cologne nationalist group to call off the rally because there were fears that more serious violence would take place, police spokesman Burkhard Rick said. About 3,000 officers had been deployed to keep peace between the two groups.
The Pro-Cologne group had planned to rally against what it calls the "Islamification" of the ethnically diverse city. Organizers had hoped to criticize plans to build a large, domed mosque - complete with two 55-meter-tall minarets - in Cologne's Ehrenfeld district.
