Germany may have witnessed violent anti-refugee protests this week -- but the message from the country's media and celebrities is a loud and determined welcome for people fleeing the horrors of war.

"We're helping," Germany's Bild newspaper splashed in large letters on its front page on Saturday.

German police said Friday they have launched a criminal probe against a female protester who hurled insults at Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit to a refugee shelter.

The woman, who has not been named, can be seen shouting "bitch" at Merkel in a video on YouTube, tabloid Bild reported.

German authorities canceled Friday a party to welcome refugees in the town of Heidenau, recently the scene of violent far-right protests, saying the public's safety could not be guaranteed due to a shortage of police.

The decision came as police reported an apparent arson attempt against an asylum-seekers' shelter in another town.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned "vile" violent demonstrations against refugees at the weekend, her spokesman said Monday, amid criticism she has failed to forcefully address anti-migrant sentiment.

After clashes erupted in eastern Germany over two nights between police and far-right thugs protesting the opening of a new center for refugees, Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Berlin would not stand for hostility against the newcomers.

Police in east Germany clashed late Friday with far-right activists protesting against the opening of a center for refugees, police said.

Several hundred people turned up in Heidenau, near Dresden, to demonstrate against the expected arrival of hundreds of refugees in a protest called by the far-right National Democratic Party.