A large anti-racism rock concert will be held on Monday in an east German town hit by far-right protests and violence, as the country’s foreign minister urged German people to take a stand against xenophobia. More than 27,000 people have registered their intent to attend the “Wir sind mehr” – “There are more of us” – concert in Chemnitz. German punk band Die Toten Hosen, Kraftklub and rappers Marteria and Casper are among groups expected to play.

“Racism cannot be allowed to run unchallenged on the streets,” said a post on the event’s Facebook page. “For all of those people, who have been attacked by neo-Nazis, and who stand for values such as tolerance, respect and humanity, we want to show you that you are not alone.”

Chemnitz has been in the spotlight since violent protests erupted over the fatal stabbing of a German man, allegedly by a Syrian and an Iraqi, last Sunday. Some demonstrators have been photographed giving the outlawed Hitler salute, while mobs have chased down foreigners in the street. On Sunday, the German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, called for German citizens to be more active in the fight against racism “Unfortunately, we have become too comfortable in our society, and we have to get over that,” Maas told Bild am Sonntag. “We have to get up from our sofas and open our mouths,” he said, stressing that “all of us have to show the world that we democrats are the majority and the racists are the minority.”(theguardian)…[+]