The two men were rushed to hospital with stab wounds in the stomach and one was in critical condition, a police spokesman said.

A few hundred Kurds marched through Bregenz Saturday afternoon to show support for Kurdish fighters defending the Syrian city of Kobane on the Turkish border, currently besieged by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

Following the stabbing incident, the march had to proceed under a massive police presence.

On Friday, a pro-Kurdish demonstration in Vienna with several thousand protesters passed off peacefully.

In neighbouring Germany, at least 23 people were hurt this week in violent clashes between Kurds and radical Muslims.