Refugees arriving in the German town of Clausnitz, Saxony, were met with a mob chanting slogans of “go home” and “we are the people,” according to a new video.
The video shows women and children on the bus crying as the protesters are shouting outside.
According to the Independent, Saxony police wrote on Facebook that there were 30 police officers present to keep distance between the refugees and the protesters and ensure both groups’ safety.
“We were able to prevent it coming to physical confrontations or injuries,” they wrote, noting 13 possible infractions against the law on free assembly.
They added: “The terrible images and video reached us this morning via social media. As the police we have to remain neutral during our deployments.
“That is difficult for us in this situation. We are all people in blue uniforms, who feel just the same as you when we watch the video.”
The video was first uploaded to both Facebook and YouTube by German comedian Jan Böhmermann on Friday, and it has since gone viral. According to Böhmermann, the video was first published on a now-deleted Facebook page titled “Döbeln wehrt sich — Deine Stimme gegen Überfremdung,” or “Döbeln fights — Your Voice against foreign infiltration.”
He also Tweeted about the video, writing “Clausnitz (Saxony), yesterday. The German fear mob greets those who escaped the jaws of death.”
Clausnitz (Sachsen), gestern.
Der deutsche Angstmob begrüßt die, die dem Tod von der Schippe gesprungen sind. pic.twitter.com/AieBfmmhx9
— Jan Böhmermann (@janboehm) February 19, 2016
Anti-refugee sentiment has grown in Germany since over 1000 attacks were reported on New Year’s Eve in Cologne. Half the attacks were sexual in nature, and the attackers were initially rumored to have been primarily refugees. Police in the town later revealed that only three of the 58 attackers were refugees from Syria or Iraq, but negative rumors about refugees are still spreading throughout Europe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy toward refugees has been met with increasing criticism, and she has proposed to redistribute refugees fleeing conflict in their homelands fairly among European Union member states — a plan that seems to be favored by a majority of Europeans. The UK is set to vote on whether to remain part of the EU in June, which would affect such redistribution.