A left-wing activist group, the Stuttgart Anti-Fascist Action Alliance, claimed responsibility for a protest outside the state parliament in Stuttgart on Thursday during which two far-right lawmakers were slightly injured in a scuffle.
The group, which is part of the left-wing Antifa movement, acknowledged that their members had "disturbed" a campaign stand set up by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a post to the group's website on Friday.
The Antifa activists also wrote in a statement on Friday that they had been physically harassed by both security staff and AfD members of parliament (MP) and referred to "a scuffle on the part of the security service and AfD MPs."
Antifa did not respond to assertions from the police that two AfD politicians had been physically assaulted and injured by the disruptors. AfD leaders are presenting their party as the victim in the incident.
The Antifascist Action Alliance also criticized the president of Baden-Württemberg's state parliament, Muhterem Aras of the Greens, for saying that she regretted the incident.
State security services are investigating the case. A police spokesman said on Friday morning that a connection to the Antifa scene could be assumed based on the inscriptions on the banner that was rolled out.
The incident occurred in front of the state parliament on Wednesday before a festive event to mark the 75th anniversary of Germany's constitution, the Basic Law.
According to the police, however, medical treatment was not necessary. The two AfD lawmakers reported being hit in the neck and head.
The Antifa group referred to the incident as a "creative disruptive action."