Germany ready to help Saxony state police if asked

The German federal government is ready to provide police assistance to the state of Saxony if asked, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Tuesday amid growing concerns about the state's ability to contain violence after a deadly stabbing.

Seehofer, leader of the Bavarian conservatives, said public concern about the stabbing of a German man was understandable, but there was no place in German society for calls to violence or violent acts.

"The police in Saxony are in a difficult situation. If requested, the federal government is ready to make police support measures available," Seehofer said in a statement.

Far-right demonstrators clashed with leftist protesters in the eastern German city of Chemnitz on Monday after an Iraqi and a Syrian were arrested over the stabbing, which had triggered demonstrations where migrants were harrassed and attacked.