Police said that a group of about 4,500 marchers got off to a late start and then could only move slowly thanks to interference from about 3,500 counter-demonstrators.
“Our units were at times forced to use direct force,” read a police tweet. “We repeat our call, continue to refrain from violence.”
Even though the march was over, many of the protesters from both sides were refusing to leave the area, setting up another simmering confrontation.
Police were boosting their presence and bringing in water cannon as night fell.
Chemnitz has become a flashpoint for the debate about foreigners in German society after the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old man on August 26.
Two men – one Iraqi, the other Syrian – have been arrested in the case.
Police have kept a tight lid on details, but rumours – including the now-debunked claim that the victim had been protecting a German woman from the attackers – have prompted rage among some parts of the city’s native population.
The last week has seen multiple marches organised by right-wing groups and reports of people taken to be foreigners being attacked throughout the city.
While one side argues for multiculturalism, the other argues that unbridled immigration has made Germany less safe.
What started off as two separate right-wing marches merged when the smaller, local Pro-Chemnitz group ended their march after half an hour, with about 1,500 participants opting to join a march organised by the national Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the anti-Islam Pegida movement.
Many waved banners reading “Wir sind das Volk” (We are the people) and “Merkel muss weg” (Merkel has to go).
Meanwhile, around 3,500 people showed up for a counter-rally opposing violence and xenophobia near the city’s St John’s Church.
Slogans included “Chemnitz Nazifrei” (A Nazi-Free Chemnitz) and “Herz statt Hetze” (Have a Heart, not Hostility).
That was preceded by an earlier event in which about 50 people gathered at the city’s Red Tower for discussions, speech and music before beginning a small march, calling for calm in the troubled city.
“This is the rational resistance,” read one sign at the church site as more attendees showed up.
“I think it’s great that civil society in Chemnitz is standing up and giving a clear sign that hate, violence and racism don’t belong here in this city,” said Dietmar Bartsch, head of The Left party in the national legislature.
The left-wing groups have also coalesced under the hashtag “Wir sind mehr” (We are more) – even if police turnout figures for the opposing camps seemed to paint a different picture on the day.
A concert planned under that slogan for tomorrow will have to move to a larger venue, authorities said.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the great reception and feedback,” said one organiser.
Even Irish rock group U2 has been drawn into the debate.
During a Berlin show on Friday night, a video display suddenly flashed the “#wirsindmehr” slogan, to cheers.
