(MENAFN- Gulf Times) An appearance by a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Bjoern Hoecke, at a book launch led to raucous scenes at the Frankfurt Book Fair yesterday afternoon.
Hoecke was attending the release of the book Mit Linken leben (Living with Leftists) by the Antaios publishing house.
Protesters demonstrated against the event with banners and chants of 'Nazis out! while Hoecke's supporters responded with 'Everybody hates the Antifa.
Antifa, a contraction of the word anti-fascist, is a radical left-wing movement.
Police were forced to intervene.
Later, a second reading by two authors from the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement was abandoned because of loud protests.
On Friday, a violent incident took place at the book fair when a music executive was punched in the face during a reading at the stand of a right-leaning weekly newspaper Junge Freiheit (Young Freedom).
A spokeswoman for the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest trade fair for books and the publishing industry, confirmed yesterday that a member of the audience at the reading had attacked Achim Bergmann, head of Trikont record label.
Bergmann is believed to have made a passing comment during the reading that prompted the attack.
The audience member was briefly detained in order to confirm his personal details, the spokeswoman said.
Bergmann was treated for his injuries in hospital and is pressing charges.
Munich-based label Trikont, originally founded 50 years ago as a book publisher, is now entirely devoted to music production.
The presence of right-wing publishers at this year's book fair has stirred controversy and protests.
Antaios and other right-wing publishing houses have accused the fair's organisers of not offering their stands enough protection from left-wing activists.
On Thursday night, the stands belonging to the magazine Tumult and Manuscriptum publishing house were emptied by unknown trespassers.
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