Hitler salute wolves fight far-right in Chemnitz

"The Wolves Are Back" is a series of 66 bronze statues of wolves. Some do the Hitler salute, which is usually banned in Germany. Artist Rainer Opolka says the work is meant to remind people of the threat of racism. Far-right sympathizers often use the wolf to describe themselves. The AfD's Björn Höcke used the word recently; Hitler's propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, used it as early as 1928.

Opolka has brought his statues all around the country to places where racism and xenophobia are on display. They have been on show in Dresden during the anti-immigrant PEGIDA marches, and outside the Munich courthouse during the sentencing of Beate Zschäpe, a member of the neo-Nazi NSU terror cell.

When the far-right Pro Chemnitz group launches its newest rally on Friday, both the city's famous Karl Marx statue and the wolves will be watching. While some of the wolves have an aggressive stance, others appear with blindfolds.

After a series of far-right rallies in early September, Chemnitz has been trying to reclaim its image from the negative headlines. Large banners in the city center decry ethno-nationalism, and an anti-racism concert held under the banner "We are more" attracted some 65,000 people.

Officials in Chemnitz have voiced their concern that the unrest will permanently damage the city's image. They've gone to great lengths to distance themselves from the right-wing rallies, and have fast-tracked criminal proceedings for those who committed violence or broke hate-speech laws during the protests.