Authorities across Germany have cracked down on anti-lockdown protesters following large demonstrations across the country at the weekend, as police and intelligence officials warned that the rallies could be infiltrated by far-right extremists.

Despite the easing of some coronavirus-related restrictions in Germany in recent days and the restart of the Bundesliga football league — albeit in stadiums empty of fans — thousands of protesters took to the streets on Saturday to protest at measures taken to contain the pandemic, with some seen using Nazi-era imagery.

More than 5,000 gathered in Stuttgart alone, the maximum allowed by local authorities because of social distancing measures, while thousands more gathered in cities such as Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin.