A 20-year-old Syrian man was badly beaten in an attack in northern Germany, police said Thursday, as the country braced for a third night of demonstrations in the eastern city of Chemnitz.

Violent anti-migrant protests were held on Sunday and Monday in Chemnitz, in the state of Saxony, as far-right demonstrators clashed with counter-protesters over the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old German man in a brawl.

Two men – an Iraqi and a Syrian – have been arrested in connection with the stabbing.

Local right-wing extremist group Pro Chemnitz has called on Facebook for another mass rally in the city on Thursday. Police said about 500 people had registered for the demonstration.

Meanwhile, police are expecting as many as 15,000 people to attend an event taking place at the same time at Chemnitz stadium, where Saxony's state premier, Michael Kretschmer, and the mayor of Chemnitz, Barbara Ludwig, will be speaking with community groups.

Additional officers have been drafted in from Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, as well as from the federal police, after criticism that the police allowed the previous protests to get out of hand.

Police in the northern city of Wismar said the Syrian man was attacked Wednesday night by three German men as he made his way home alone. He was subjected to xenophobic insults, punched, kicked and hit with a chain, suffering a broken nose and bruising to the face and upper body, a police statement said.

Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Separately, police said, unknown offenders defaced the windows of the office of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Wismar's old town with stickers and paint. Officers were informed Thursday morning and are investigating.

The rallies earlier this week were the latest examples of division in Germany triggered by the country's intake of refugees and migrants.

The demonstrations were condemned by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said “hate in the streets” had no place in the country. She also condemned the stabbing, saying it was “a horrible incident.”

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