German Government Condemns 'Cowardly' Anti-Migrant Mob

The German government Monday condemned the "cold-hearted and cowardly" mob that tried to stop a bus from taking migrants to a shelter for asylum seekers, calling the ugly episode "deeply shameful".

About 100 people in the Saxony town of Clausnitz shouted "We are the people" and tried to block the bus carrying about 20 asylum seekers on Thursday night.

The images captured on video, which show some terrified migrants crying, have gone viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage.

"I want to say on behalf of the chancellor and the entire government that what happened in Clausnitz is deeply shameful," said Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert.

"How cold-hearted and cowardly one must be to stand in front of a bus with refugees and shout with the aim of frightening the passengers, including women and children," he said, calling for a "clear response from government institutions and the majority of citizens".

Seibert said individuals must stand up against racism and xenophobia.

"This is not something that we can solve with rules from Berlin. It is something that we must, as a society, take a clear stance on. That's something that we can do. That's something that each of you can do," he told a press conference.

Meanwhile, local authorities replaced the director of the refugee shelter, saying it was for his own protection.

The man, identified as Thomas Hetze, is reportedly a member of the populist party AfD (Alternative for Germany).

Although Hetze had criticized Berlin's decision to take in war refugees, he decided to help the newcomers all the same, telling the Bild daily: "Can one not be against the policy but still help anyway?"

Matthias Damm, a member of local authority, said the decision to remove him from the asylum shelter was in order to "protect this person" whose unusual stance has been widely discussed around the country.

AfD head Frauke Petry said her party was looking into the links that the refugee center director has with the faction.

She also warned against drawing conclusions about the episode as investigations are still ongoing.

"We have to ask what drove these people onto the streets today," she told journalists.

Germany, which received 1.1 million asylum seekers last year, has recorded a rise in the number of attacks against migrant shelters.

The former Communist east in particular has seen a disproportionate number of far-right hate crimes.