German city bans new refugees as anti-migrant mood increases

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An eastern German city has imposed a temporary ban on new refugees in an effort to stem a number of recent violent incidents. The city of Cottbus, southeast of Berlin, has been rocked by violence from refugees since the start of this year.

The decision was spurred by a recent attack in which a group of three teenage Syrian asylum seekers attacked a man and his wife.

And two Syrian teenagers were arrested for allegedly injuring a German teenager in the face with a knife.

The small university town with a population of just over 100,000, has taken in around 3,000 asylum seekers since German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened Germany’s borders in 2015 at the height of the refugee crisis.

Corrie O'Connor