MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The protest took place in Heidenau, located near Dresden, on Friday evening and attracted around 1,000 people, including supporters of the far-right National Democratic Party.
The activists took to the streets to protest the arrival of refugees to a temporary shelter in a former store in the town.
The peaceful demonstration turned violent after the demonstrators tried to block the road the buses with refugees were expect to use to reach the shelter, according to the news outlet.
Protesters threw stones, bottles and firecrackers at the officers who tried to clear the path for the buses, prompting the police to use tear gas and pepper spray.
On Wednesday, Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said up to 800,000 asylum seekers and refugees are expected to arrive in the country by the end of the year, three times as many as in 2014.
A huge influx of refugees has prompted broad public debate in Germany. Municipalities say they do not have the resources to accommodate them and far-right extremists commit attacks on refugee shelters.