Thousands of German right-wing extremists on Sunday marched through Dresden on the 60th anniversary of the city's destruction in allied bombing raids, overshadowing official commemorations of the wartime attacks that killed at least 35,000 people.

Police said approximately 4,000 from the far right, many waving black flags and carrying fire torches, mounted a mock funeral march. March organisers and observers said at least 6,000 took part, making the demonstration one of the largest in Germany by far-right groups since the second world war.