The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV), Hans-Georg Maassen, came under more pressure on Saturday to explain comments that some see as downplaying the danger posed by far-right extremists at protests in the eastern city of Chemnitz two weeks ago.

In an interview with the mass-circulation Bild newspaper published Friday, Maassen voiced skepticism that far-right protesters had "hounded" foreigners during a demonstration on August 26. He also called into question the authenticity of a video purporting to show demonstrators chasing after a person they believed to be a migrant.

The premier of the state of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil of the Social Democrats, told Funke Media Group newspapers that "question marks were starting to mount up" with him as to whether Maassen was up to his job.

In comments published Saturday, Weil said it was troubling that Maassen had suggested that the video might be deliberate misinformation without producing evidence for his claim.

"Otherwise, such comments fuel suspicion that he is protecting right-wing extremists," Weil said.

Read more: Extremist crimes in Germany down, number of fanatics up

Right-wing protests have been continuing in Chemnitz

At odds with the chancellor

Weil's comments echo those made by Green and Left politicians.

"I don't expect any trustworthy assessments from Mr. Maassen any more," said Katrin Göring-Eckardt, the parliamentary party leader for the Greens. "The fact that he only commented on a video, but not on the acts of violence and the public displays of anti-constitutional symbols in Chemnitz, shows me that Mr. Maassen is not up to the job."

The chairwoman of the Left Party, Katja Kipping, also stated that Maassen was "not tenable in this position."

Maassen's comments were also at odds with those made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has said videos made at the protests showed "that there was targeted harassment."

Prosecutors leading the investigation into the far-right demonstration in Chemnitz have also said there was no evidence that a video showing far-right attacks was fake.

Dresden prosecutor Wolfgang Klein told Die Zeit newspaper on Saturday that his office considered the video as genuine evidence. He said suggestions by Maassen that the video may have been shot elsewhere or at another time were not borne out by examination of the footage.

Read more:Resist hate with open debate, not censorship, urges rights advocate

How the Chemnitz protests unfolded Death sparks demonstrations The demonstrations were sparked by a deadly brawl that broke out in the German city of Chemnitz in the early hours of Sunday (August 26). What started out as a war of words resulted in a 35-year-old man being stabbed to death. Hours later, spontaneous, anti-migrant protests took over the streets of Chemnitz.

How the Chemnitz protests unfolded German-Cuban killed A German-Cuban man was stabbed in an altercation involving 10 people, several of whom were of "various nationalities," police sources said. The victim, named only as Daniel H., was apparently well-known among various political groups in the area. Two men in their 30s were also stabbed and seriously injured, and a 22-year-old Iraqi and 23-year-old Syrian are in custody over the killing.

How the Chemnitz protests unfolded Police reinforcements called By Sunday afternoon, some 800 people had gathered to protest the man's death, including far-right groups. Authorities said the crowd was largely uncooperative and threw bottles at police officers. Police reinforcements had to be called in from nearby cities. The mobilizations were spontaneous and are thought to have surfaced following calls to demonstrate on social media.

How the Chemnitz protests unfolded Misinformation German authorities said that that far-right groups spread misinformation on the internet. Among the false claims was that the victim of the knife attack died protecting a woman.

How the Chemnitz protests unfolded Protests and counterprotests Thousands of far-right and counterdemonstrators faced off in a second day of protest Monday. Several people were injured as objects and fireworks were hurled. Video footage showed the far-right "Pro Chemnitz" movement holding a banner with a quote from early 20th century poet Anton Günther reading "German and free we aim to be."

How the Chemnitz protests unfolded 'No place for Nazis' Counter-demonstrators denouncing right-wing extremism also took to the streets of Chemnitz. Among the protesters were Antifa, who clashed with right-wing demonstrators. Author: Louisa Wright



Questions to be answered

The domestic affairs expert for Merkel's Christian Democrats, Armin Schuster, told Reuters news agency that Maassen would answer parliamentarians' questions about his comments at special meetings next week, including in front of a parliamentary committee that oversees Germany's spy agencies. He said he hoped for "more facts than suppositions" and a chance for Maassen to justify himself.

Maassen, who took up his position as BfV chief in 2012, has recently also been criticized for unexplained meetings with members of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. A book by a former AfD member has even alleged that during one such meeting, with former AfD chairwoman Frauke Petry, Maassen gave tips for avoiding monitoring by the BfV. Maassen has denied the claims.

A report that a Jewish restaurant in Chemnitz was a target of far-right extremists during the protests at the end of August has further undermined claims by the premier of the state of Saxony, where the city is located, that reports of mob violence at the protests were willfully exaggerated.

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tj/rc (Reuters, AFP, AP)

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