MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The fire at a hotel slated for conversion into a refugee shelter in Bautzen, Saxony, destroyed the building’s roof, according to the BBC broadcaster. There were no casualties, but the investigation is said to include detectives who normally deal with hate crimes.
The broadcaster cited Saxony Minister-President Stanislaw Tillich describing the cheering bystanders as "criminals." Two inebriated individuals were reportedly arrested for refusing to leave the scene.
The incident comes two days after some 100 protesters in Clausnitz, 50 miles to the southwest of Bautzen, prevented migrants from disembarking a bus to arrive at another accommodation center.
Anti-migrant sentiment has been rife in Germany, the main destination of mainly Middle Eastern migrants fleeing violence and poverty to seek asylum in Europe.
