BERLIN
German politicians condemned on Sunday an arson attack that burned down a new refugee shelter in the eastern town of Troeglitz and called for a stronger stance against racism.
Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas expressed grave concern for the attack in Troeglitz early Saturday, which followed weeks long protest by far-right demonstrators who opposed plans to house some 40 asylum seekers in the town, beginning from May.
“The bitter truth is Troeglitz is just the tip of the iceberg. In 2015 we have already witnessed 20 attacks against refugee shelters,” Heiko Maas tweeted on Sunday.
“Numerous racist attacks in 2015 show that we should never stop defending our democracy against the smear campaign of extremists,” he stressed.
Far-right demonstrators and followers of the National Democratic Party of Germany, or NPD, carried out weeks long protests in the small eastern town of Troeglitz to block plans for housing asylum seekers in the town.
The town's former mayor Markus Nierth announced his resignation last month due to security concerns, as far-right groups announced protests near his home.
Chief public prosecutor Joerg Wilkmann told media on Saturday that initial findings show that the building which was to house refugees was burned down by arson.
As refugees were not yet moved to the new housing, nobody was injured after the attack. Police said that they were not ruling out a political background for the arson.
Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere demanded a prompt and comprehensive investigation.
“That’s a heinous act, it should be immediately clarified. Perpetrators should be behind bars,” de Maiziere told local media.
The opposition Green Party demanded more protection for the refugee shelters.
Since last year Germany witnessed a rise in anti-immigrant and anti-asylum seeker sentiments, as right-wing and anti-Islam platforms like PEGIDA gathered thousands in protests organized in cities Dresden, Hannover and Cologne. Far-right groups blame immigrants and refugees for crimes in cities and accuse them for exploiting the social security system of the country.
There had been 144 attacks against the houses and camps of refugees in 2014, according to the anti-Nazi Amadeu Antonio Foundation, and the refugee rights organization Pro Asyl. 34 of them were arson attacks. At least 68 asylum seekers were targeted by physical violence.
Wars in Syria and Iraq, as well as other armed conflicts, have significantly increased the number of asylum applications to European countries.
Germany has received 202 thousand 834 asylum applications last year, an increase of 60 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the German Interior Ministry. 47 thousand of them were Syrians.
After Syria, the main countries of origin of asylum seekers were Serbia, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Macedonia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo and Somalia.
Majority of the asylum seekers and their families are accommodated in refugee centers or public houses managed by the municipalities and communities, which often face financial problems and demand more support from the federal government.
