BERLIN — Germany’s head of domestic intelligence was accused by lawmakers of playing down far-right violence by questioning the authenticity of a video showing a foreigner being chased during anti-immigrant protests.

Hans-Georg Maassen, who oversees the intelligence agency, had to explain his statements before two closed parliamentary committees on Wednesday as calls for his resignation intensified among politicians and pundits.

In an interview published Friday, Mr. Maassen directly contradicted Chancellor Angela Merkel when he said that he had “no evidence” for the widely reported “hounding” of dark-skinned bystanders during far-right protests in the eastern city of Chemnitz two weeks ago. The term “hounding” was used by the chancellor and the government spokesman to describe the events.

But Mr. Maassen said he had reason to believe that a widely circulated video clip — which showed a white man chasing a darker-skinned young man down the street — constituted “targeted misinformation.” When he was ordered by the government to provide evidence for his comments, Mr. Maassen changed his stance.