Noted German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on French television saying she had invited the “worst enemies” of the Jewish people to Germany during the migrant crisis.

Mr. Lagerfeld, who serves as head creative director of the fashion house Chanel and of Italian designer Fendi, made the remarks on television which led to hundreds of viewers making complaints.

Evoking guilt of the Holocaust as the impetus for Merkel to invite unlimited numbers of asylum seekers into Germany during the migrant crisis, Lagerfeld said: “One cannot – even if there are decades between them – kill millions of Jews and then bring millions of their worst enemies in their place,” Kronen Zeitung reports.

Lagerfeld then relayed a story he had been told by a friend: “I know someone in Germany who took a young Syrian and after four days he said, ‘The greatest thing Germany invented was the Holocaust’.”

“Merkel had already millions and millions (of immigrants) who are well integrated and who work and all is well … she had no need to take another million to construct an image of herself as a stepmother after the Greek crisis,” he added.

Since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, there have been a number of high profile anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, particularly in Berlin.

Surging Anti-Semitism in Germany Sparks Cry for Help from Jewish Community https://t.co/eBzw0sFcZP — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 23, 2017

Earlier this year, a 14-year-old Jewish student was forced to leave his school after Muslim children bullied him both verbally and physically. Josef Schuster, president of Central Council of Jews in Germany called the incident, “a shattering event”.

In an interview with German magazine Bild, Schuster said: “In some districts in major cities, I’d advise people not to identify themselves as Jews.”

“Experience has shown that openly wearing a kippa or a necklace with the Star of David is enough to attract verbal or physical threats,” he added.

In July, a report conducted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) of 21 Berlin schools showed that not only was anti-Semitism on the rise but the phrase “you Jew!” had become a common insult on school playgrounds across the capital.