Cairo _ September 13 (SEE): German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of the exclusion of certain groups. She said before parliament that Muslims, Jews and other religious affiliated groups are part of the German society exactly like Christians and atheists.
She added that laws can never be replaced by emotions, noting that Germany observes the rulerule of law.
The comments came after the killing of a German man for which an Iraqi and a Syrian have been arrested prompted days of anti-migrant protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz that at times turned violent.
In her speech before lawmakers, Merkel assured that she takes seriously Germans' concerns about crimes committed by migrants and pledged a strong response, but condemned recent demonstrations as "hateful," saying there is "no excuse" for expressions of hate, Nazi sympathies or violence in response.
Neo-Nazis were seen giving the stiff-armedHitler salute in the largest demonstration, the day after the killing, which attracted some 6,000 people, and on the sidelines of the protest masked men threw stones and bottles at a kosher restaurant yelling "Jewish pig, get out of Germany."
The day before, in spontaneous protests by hundreds immediately after the killing, several foreigners were attacked and injured in the streets.
Merkel assured lawmakers that her government was equally aware of its responsibility to take the wider concerns of the public seriously, and that it was working hard on the issue.
"We are especially troubled by the severe crimes in which the alleged perpetrators were asylum-seekers," she said. "This shocks us... (and) such crimes must be investigated, the perpetrators have to be taken to court and punished with the severity of the law.
Follow the latest news on Google News
