Islamophobia and xenophobia on the rise in Germany, new study claims

Antisemitism also prevalent, with one in 10 saying they feel Jews still have 'too much of an influence even today'

Germany has seen an increasing number of far-right demonstrations over the last few years (Getty)

Prejudice towards Muslims and foreigners is rising in Germany, a study has revealed.

More than 44 per cent of Germans believe Muslims should be banned from immigrating, compared to 36.5 per cent in 2014, the Competence Centre for Right-Wing Extremism and Democracy Research found.

The poll found more than one in two (55.8 per cent) said the number of Muslims made them feel like strangers in their own country, while 43 per cent gave the same answer four years ago, the Die Welt newspaper reported.

It also showed more than one in three Germans believe foreigners only come to the country to exploit the welfare state and 35.6 per cent feared Germany had already been “dangerously watered down” by foreigners.

Antisemitism was also prevalent, with one in 10 Germans saying they felt Jews still have “too much of an influence even today” and saying they “do not really fit in with us”.

The increase in prejudicial views recorded by the poll were almost always higher in eastern than western Germany.

The study also found 8 per cent said a dictatorship might be a better form of government than democracy under certain circumstances, while 11 per cent expressed a desire for a leader who “governs the country with a firm hand for the good of all”.

It comes as Jewish students in Berlin marked the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “Night of the Broken Glass” which is often considered the beginning of the Holocaust, on Wednesday.

The event marked an eruption of antisemitism which saw Nazis terrorising Jews throughout Germany and Austria, killing at least 91 people, burning down hundreds of synagogues and vandalising and looting 7,500 Jewish businesses.

Around 30 students from the Jewish Traditional School lit candles and recited prayers at their school as Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal urged them to jointly overcome Germany’s past by building a secure future for Jews in the country.

Berlin’s top security official banned a far-right protest planned for Friday – the exact anniversary of Kristallnacht.

In explaining his decision, the state interior minister, Andreas Geisel, said such a demonstration would “in a blatant way negate the moral and ethical significance of this memorial day”, the German news agency dpa reported.