Demonstrators threw bottles, stones and lit fireworks in the direction of police. They hit back in Hamburg with water cannons, pepper spray and batons.
A police spokeswoman said 15 people were arrested in Hamburg out of the around 2,200 demonstrators. Around 50 protesters and 20 police officers were injured.
The 1,800 officers had only expected 1,400 demonstrators, but despite the large number of people on the streets, full-scale riots were not seen to the same extent as in December in the port city.
In Berlin around 19,000 people took to the streets, far more than police had expected, and there were once again clashes between protesters and officers.
The far-left demonstration set off from Mariannenplatz in Kreuzberg under a banner calling for affordable housing. Protesters were mainly chanting "a-anti-anticapitalista".
There were occasional small scuffles and The Local witnessed one major scuffle with police near Görlitzer Park.
CLICK HERE for photos from the protests
.jpg "Photo: J. Arthur White")
The radical left protest then joined the main body of the demonstration which headed to the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Kreuzberg.
A police spokesman said on Friday 68 people were arrested and 61 officers injured on April 30th and May 1st.
SEE ALSO: Police braced for May 1st violence
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