A riot broke out today in a German refugee camp when an unidentified man tore pages out of a Quran (Koran) and threw them in the toilet. At least 17 people were injured when 20 people chased down the man, according to The Daily Mail. The crowd then turned their anger to the security services as they protected the alleged offender. More than 50 men, mostly Syrian refugees, armed themselves with steel rods and began throwing rocks at guards and policemen.
In the violence today, migrants smashed car windows, ransacked buildings and demolished the walls which divide the shelter. The rampage lasted several hours, according to Arab News.
Tensions are at a high level in Germany as the country prepares to host 800,000 asylum seekers this year. Germany is struggling to deal with the massive influx of refugees from war zones such as Syria, as well as migrants from countries not at war. The state premier for Thuringia, in central Germany, believes different ethnic groups should be separated in refugee homes to prevent such violence erupting again. The Thuringia camp is designed to hold about 1,200 refugees, but currently holds 1,700, putting strains on both refugees and those helping them.
Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere is due to meet his French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, on Thursday in Berlin to discuss Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War II, according to Griot Globe.
The Koran is the Islamic sacred book, believed to be the word of God as dictated to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel and written down in Arabic.
