A protest against the anti-Islam group Pegida in Dresden has been banned over fears a snowball fight could erupt.

Dresden town hall said it could not allow the counter-protest to go ahead because "the possibility of snowballs being thrown cannot be excluded."

Snowball fights broke out during previous demonstrations in the city, The Local reports the authorities claimed in their decision.

Anti-Islam movement PEGIDA stages protests across Europe

The man who submitted the proposals, Benjamin H, has previously organised several protests against Pegida and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

He told the German daily Tagesspiegal he feared "the whole culture of protesting will go down the drain if you are only ever allowed to stand in the corner."

Mr H had already agreed to numerous restrictions for the protest, including not using a loudspeaker van and preventing participants from using whistles.

In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany A police officer talks to a counterprotestor at the sidelines of right-wing movement 'Baergida' (Berlin Patriots against the islamization of the Occident), a Berlin version of Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the Occident), protest in Berlin In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany Participants of right-wing movement 'Baergida' (Berlin Patriots against the islamization of the Occident), a Berlin version of Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the Occident), protest in Berlin In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany People protest against right-wing initiative Pegida with a sign reading 'Stop agitation against Islam' in Berlin In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany Participants of the 'Alliance against Racism' demonstrate against right-wing initiative Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the Occident) in Berlin. Counterdemonstrations against racism and xenophobia have been planned in Dresden, Berlin, Cologne and Stuttgart. The demonstrations staged by the anti-Islamic Pegida movement produce a series of slogans arguing that Germany is taking in too many foreigners, that the social structures are about to collapse due to the rising number of asylum-seekers, and that there is the threat of an 'Islamisation of the Occident' In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany German Justice Minister Heiko Maas takes part in a protest against the march of a grass-roots anti-Muslim movement in Berlin. The rise of the group, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (Pegida), has shaken Germany's political establishment In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany The lighting of the Brqandenburg Gate was switched off to make a statement against racism as People protest against right-wing initiative Pegida in Berlin In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany A left wing activist struggles with the riot police during a protest against a planed march of the Pegida movement in their first Berlin demonstration, which they have dubbed 'Baergida' In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany People protest against right-wing initiative Pegida in Hamburg In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany People protest against right-wing initiative Pegida in Munich In pictures: Anti-Pegida protesters Germany People protest against right-wing initiative Pegida in Stuttgart

At the request of the authorities, his protest was to be held in a small corner of the central square, far away from where the far-right group would demonstrate.

The authorities also said, since the protest was expected to attract over 100 participants, "a gathering of this size is a good cover for possible disruptors."

Members of Pegida, which stands for "Patriotic Europeans against Islamisation of the West," have been accused of racism, fascism and xenophobia.