Attacks on refugee homes soar five-fold in Germany: Minister
A senior German official says nearly 1,000 offenses were perpetrated in the country against refugee shelters in 2015, a five-fold annual rise amid an influx of asylum seekers.
Speaking at a press conference in the German capital of Berlin on Monday, the country's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said some 923 offenses against refugees and refugee facilities were recorded in 2015, against 175 the previous year.
He said the offenses included 177 acts of violence, three attempted killings and hundreds of non-violent acts such as painting graffiti, the use of Nazi symbols and incitements to hatred.
"A decline in the number of political crimes is not to be expected in 2016 unfortunately," the minister said, adding that in this year's first quarter there had been 347 crimes against refugee centers.
Maiziere noted that the refugee topic was the focus of politically motivated crime in Germany last year, when the country took in over one million refugees and asylum seekers.
Germany opened its borders to the refugees last summer with a welcoming mood, but it gradually shifted away from the policy and now Chancellor Angela Merkel stresses that the number of asylum seekers arriving in the country needs to be reduced.
Recently, the European Union (EU) and Ankara reached a controversial deal, under which refugees arriving in Greece would be sent back to Turkey if they do not apply for asylum or if their claim is rejected.
Germany, one of the most popular destinations for refugees, registered about 1.1 million refugees between January and December 2015. The country is expecting 2.5 million more to arrive over the next five years.
Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.
More than 172,900 asylum seekers have reached Europe via the Mediterranean so far this year, while over 700 people died in their journey to the continent, according to the latest figures by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
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