Hundreds of neo-Nazis waving flags with the colours of the German Reich marched through central Berlin on Saturday, protected from counter-protesters by police in riot gear.

Berlin police spokesman Thilo Cablitz said officers had to physically remove some left-wing demonstrators who had staged sit-down protests along the route of the march.

He added that stones and bottles were thrown at some of the far-right protesters, but could not say how many people were injured.

The far-right protesters wore white shirts to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the death of high-ranking Nazi official Rudolf Hess and carried banners with slogans such as “I regret nothing.”

Hess, who received a life sentence at the Nuremberg trials for his role in planning the Second World War, died on August 17, 1987.