Far-right groups call for Merkel to be LOCKED UP during protests one year on from Cologne
FURIOUS far-right protestors have called for Angela Merkel to be jailed after a string of attacks by migrants in Germany.
German protesters mark one year since New Year attacks
They waved placards depicting the embattled Chancellor as a prisoner at a demonstration in Cologne this afternoon.
Some also carried banners calling for mosques to be shut down.
They were met by a counter-demonstration of far-left activists holding signs reading "Cologne against hate".
The mass protests comes one year after 1,310 individuals said they were victims of crime in Cologne city centre on New Year Eve's.
A staggering 662 women claimed they had been sexually assaulted and 28 saying they had been raped.
The horrific assaults helped fuel the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Furious far-right protesters want Angela Merkel to be locked up
The activists carried banners calling for mosques to be shut down
Under-fire Mrs Merkel fears the right-wing populists will erode her support in this year's national election.
More than 800,000 refugees arrived in Germany in 2015 after Mrs Merkel opened the country's doors to people fleeing Syria.
She has since admitted the country is struggling to cope with the huge influx and has vowed to deport failed asylum seekers.
Merkel: We must combat terrorism together with humanity
They were met by a counter-demonstration of left-wingers
The German leader, fighting for a fourth term in office, has always made numerous U-turns on her soft stance towards migrants.
Since the Cologne attacks she has suggested burka bans and migrant caps.
But in a New Year's message released last week, she insisted the country would remain "free, considerate and open".
The German leader is fighting for a fourth term in office
Police release shocking video of Cologne's New Years chaos
Today's march was titled "No forgiveness, no forgetting".
Markus Beisicht, leader of the anti-immigration Citizens' Movement for Cologne, was the most prominent right-winger at the march.
Left-wingers including Volker Beck from the Green Party and the Left Party's Matthias Birkwald spoke at the rival event.
Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?