As Europe struggles to cope with an influx of migrants, Germany’s vice chancellor has condemned recent violence outside in the Heidenau over the weekend.

Sigmar Gabriel warned of “huge problems” in Europe which he said need “adequate and fair” dealing.

“These people [right-wing militants]have nothing to do with Germany. This is not the type of Germany we want to have in our country,” Gabriel told reporters and local residents. “They think they are the representatives of the true Germany. In reality, they are the most un-German people I can imagine.”

More than 30 police were injured in clashes in Heidenau near Dresden in early Saturday morning, after a mob of several hundred people, many of them drunk, began pelting officers with bottles and fireworks. Some of them shouted “Heil Hitler”.

Germany, which expects the number of asylum seekers to quadruple to about 800,000 this year, has witnessed dozens of arson attacks on asylum shelters in recent months. But the violence in Heidenau, which continued on Saturday and Sunday nights, was unprecedented.

Meanwhile police in the southwest of the country said they are investigating a suspected arson attack on this empty building destined as a refugee centre in the town of Weissach im Tal.

Nobody was injured and the cause of the fire was unclear.

EURO NEWS