German anti-migrant sentiment has been on the rise ever since the country took in a large amount of migrants coming into Europe and Germany. This sentiment only increased after news broke about the sex attacks in Cologne and other places throughout Europe in which hundreds of migrant men sexually assaulted women during New Year's celebrations. However, the most recent incident involving a mob in one German city truly has officials feeling disgusted.
The incident in question occurred in Bautzen, in Saxony, when a group of between 20 and 30 Germans stood outside a hotel that had been repurposed into a home for asylum seekers and watched it burn, according to AFP.
Making the situation even more troubling, some members of the mob worked to impede responding firefighters dispatched to the scene. During that time firefighters reportedly received "disparaging comments" about their attempts to put out the flames from members of the mob who showed "unabashed delight" as they looked on.
It's unclear what the source of the fire was, but due to persisting anti-migrant sentiment, the behavior of the mob and the "fire accelerant" found at the scene, officials are treating it as a possible arson attack, according to The Telegraph.
No one was hurt during the altercation, but two men in their 20s were temporarily arrested for defying police orders.
Members of Chancellor Angela Merkel's left-right "grand coalition" government, expressed outrage over the incident, as well as a related one that occurred two days prior, calling them disgusting.
"Racists are pathetic lawbreakers, a disgrace for our country. Shame on you!" exclaimed deputy foreign minister Michael Roth.
"Those who shamelessly applaud when houses burn and scare refugees to death are displaying disgusting and revolting behaviour," said Justice Minister Heiko Maas.
Maas told media group RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland he was stunned by the actions of far-right groups, which he says no longer classify as free expression and have become a threat to public safety.
"Verbal radicalism is a prelude to physical violence," he said, noting that after the country let in nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers last year, officials recorded more than 1,000 retaliatory criminal acts against refugee shelters across Germany.
Saxony registered the highest number of attacks.
