The rally comes as the chancellor is visiting the city, which had been rocked by a wave of protests and counter-rallies after a local man was stabbed to death by suspected migrants on August 26. Violence continued for weeks, reigniting a nationwide debate on Berlin’s migration policy.
The Friday rally is organized by the Pro Chemnitz movement, with its participants chanting "Merkel must go" and "No truth in Merkel’s propaganda."
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The participants of the rally harshly criticize Merkel's open-door policy and commitment to seeking an EU-wide solution to the migration crisis.
"There is a European solution — that is the Dublin agreement [stipulating that asylum seekers must be processed in the country of their first arrival]. Merkel failed to implement it, in contrast, she made it invalid," one of the speakers claimed under the cheers of the crowd.
According to the Sputnik correspondent’s estimate, the rally has gathered some 1,500 people.