Leipzig (dpa) – Police officers were stationed throughout Leipzig on Saturday after three left-wing demonstrations were banned. They said the situation had largely been peaceful by the end of the day, aside from a small riot in the morning.

The massive police presence sought to enforce the ban on assemblies and ensure the security of smaller protests, the police said. The policing measure was successful, the police said in an assessment at the close of the day, noting that there had only been a few incidents.

There had been calls for the three demonstrations online for several weeks, to be held under the banner “All together – autonomous, resistant, irreconcilable!”

The ban was announced by the city of Leipzig on Tuesday, then confirmed by a court on Thursday, due to the security services’ concerns. Police said they suspected the demonstrations would be attended by protesters from the far left who would be willing to use violence.

On Saturday morning, a riot broke out in the city’s north-east. Some 30 to 40 people wearing hoods threw stones and bags of paint at a bank branch, damaging its windows, a police spokesperson said. Some also set off fireworks. A real estate company’s offices were also attacked. The incidents are now being investigated.

Three rallies that were held in the afternoon in the south of the city and in the centre were largely peaceful, police said.

There were plans to police the city late into the night.