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Police scrambled to contain confrontations between the “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West” group, PEGIDA, and pro-immigration counter-protestors. A video of the dramatic encounter caputures the moment where riot police form ranks to stop pro-immigration protestors reaching the nationalist group, founded in 2014.

The open-borders hooligans – who held banners saying “make racists afraid again” – set bins and pieces of wood ablaze and lit a bonfire in the middle of the road before physically barging the police. Bizarrely, one protestor dressed as Santa Claus held a sign saying “Santa says no to racists”. Police had to extinguish a fire and unblock the roads.

YOUTUBE Pro-immigration protestors clashed with law enforcement at the demonstration.

GETTY The protestors also set fire to litter and containers.

Officials confirmed 11 people were arrested but police refused to say what group they were from. Riot squads prevented the two protest groups – held at different parts of the city – from meeting.

GETTY They also placed barricades in the road, which had to be removed by police.

YOUTUBE Banners saying

Police spokesman Rasmus Skovsgaard said arrests were made for vandalism and violations of public order, as well as one case of violence against a public official. As many as 100 people attended the pro-immigration rally, the spokesman added, with no information an the number of people at the PEGIDA protest.

YOUTUBE A protestor dressed as Santa Claus warns PEGIDA members: