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Indians attacked in Germany

Muegeln, August 20
A mob attacked a group of Indian fairgoers in a village in the eastern German state of Saxony, German police said.

Eight Indians and four Germans were reported injured. The incident occurred at a village festival overnight on Sunday night in Muegeln.

After a scuffle broke out shortly after midnight in a festival tent, a group of about 50 mostly young Germans apparently pursued a group of Indian visitors, who fled into a pizzeria. The doors of the restaurant were kicked in by the pursuing mob.

A reported 70 police officers were needed to disperse the attackers, and two officers were injured. A large crowd reportedly witnessed the violence.

Among the injured, one Indian and one German were hospitalised. There was no immediate report of arrests. Authorities have formed a task force to investigate the incident.

Saxony state Police Chief Bernd Merbitz said that a "xenophobic motive" could have been a factor in the violence. "We're investigating in every direction," he said.

The Leipziger Volkszeitung , a daily newspaper in nearby Leipzig, reported in its Monday edition that the mob attacking the Indians shouted anti-foreigner slogans.

West Saxony police spokesman Reinhard Boettcher said that witness statements suggested that there might have been right-wing extremist shouts and insults during the melee. It was unclear whether the large crowd of bystanders cheered on the mob or merely failed to intervene.

"The fact is: alcohol at the time played a role," Boettcher said. — IANS