The victims have been waiting a long time for this moment: Five years after right-wing extremist riots in the eastern German city of Chemnitz, the trial against the alleged perpetrators will begin on December 11.
Seven defendants between the ages of 26 and 51 stand accused of causing grievous bodily harm and disturbing the peace in 11 separate cases during the incidents of September 1, 2018.
That evening, following an event organized by the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD), right-wing populist association Pro Chemnitz, and the anti-Islam Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident (PEGIDA ), the defendants are alleged to have engaged in violent confrontations with participants of a counterdemonstration, according to the indictment by the Dresden public prosector’s office.
