German Town Scraps Refugee Party as Police Unable to Ensure Safety
German authorities canceled Friday a party to welcome refugees in the town of Heidenau, recently the scene of violent far-right protests, saying the public's safety could not be guaranteed due to a shortage of police.
The decision came as police reported an apparent arson attempt against an asylum-seekers' shelter in another town.
Germany is expecting to receive a record number of 800,000 requests for asylum this year, four times higher than in 2014.
The sudden surge has exposed anti-migrant sentiment with a spate of arson attacks hitting refugee shelters in recent weeks.
Local police Friday reported that a Molotov cocktail was flung into a former school building now serving as a refugee home.
A woman and her three children living at the shelter in Salzhemmendorf were unhurt as fire fighters were able to put out the flames quickly, police said.
Meanwhile, authorities in the eastern region of Saxony banned all outdoor public gatherings in Heidenau from Friday 2pm to Monday 6am, in a bid to prevent a repeat of the violent anti-migrant protests that erupted over the weekend.
"Police forces currently available are not in a position to meet the forecasted developments in the situation," it said.
The decision effectively forces organizers to scrap a party for refugees later Friday. At the same time it bans any demonstrations planned by far-right activists.
"It cannot be ruled out that violent clashes could arise," the regional authorities said, adding that the "lives and health of participants at public gatherings, bystanders but also police and security officers" could be at risk.
The decision was sharply criticized by politicians and Germany's police union GdP, whose deputy chief Joerg Radek described it as "kneeling before the mob in Heidenau".
It is "a slap in the face" for all "those who stand against the stupid cheap propaganda of the far right," said Radek.
Opposition Greens party leader Cem Ozdemir told public broadcaster ARD that the decision effectively "overwrites democracy for four days because the Saxony state is overwhelmed".
He vowed to defy the ban, saying: "I will go and I am asking everyone who has nothing urgent to do today to come with me to Heidenau. We will show that this constitutional state is not defenseless."
Violent protests by far-right extremists and neo-Nazis erupted over the weekend at a refugee shelter in Heidenau and were condemned by Chancellor Angela Merkel as "vile".
She also had strong words for families with children who marched alongside the demonstration, calling their support "shameful".
Her visit to the refugee shelter in Heidenau on Wednesday was met with a show of defiance by about 200 people, some of whom greeted her with jeers and shouted far-right slogans including "traitor, traitor".
Source: Agence France Presse
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