GETTY FILE PICTURE Europe is facing an unprecedented migrant crisis

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

With its underground location White Rabbit is a trendy spot for party-going Germans. But for club-goer Annika, fun with friends quickly turned into the night from hell. The 46-year-old claims she was “surrounded and pushed aside” by a large group of African men harassing women on the dance floor. She felt threatened. The situation was “full of male violence”.

Seven men were kicked out onto the streets of the German city of Freiburg amid claims they harassed women. A terrified Annika was then forced to push her way through a group of men on the steps outside. “It was like running the gauntlet,” she said. After a string of incidents, the managers of White Rabbit have been forced to clamp down on what was once a bustling nightlife hotspot. According to reports, pickpocketing has surged; a bouncer was allegedly attacked with a knife; date rape drugs were apparently slipped into drinks and men are said to have forced themselves upon women.

GETTY Freiburg is a traditionally sleepy German town

It is also alleged that men have forced their way into women’s bathroom stalls, breaching the last possible safe area for females in the club. So out has gone the welcoming door policy – now it’s only possible to come in with a club card. Local newspaper Badische Zeitung reports that White Rabbit told event organisers they saw no other way to deal with “certain problems with refugees”. And they’re not the only venue in the city of Freiburg to have problems. One pub was forced to put up warning signs in multiple languages – but when that didn’t work they tightened their entry rules.

At the student disco El.Pi, manager Dietmar Ganzmann has restricted entry to only a small group of refugees each night. He said: “We traditionally have strict entry rules. The bouncers are of Moroccan descent and know the usual suspects. That requires finesse.” Even at the self-confessed “liberal club” Jazzhaus, manager Michael Musiol admits that he “can’t let everything slide”. Other venue bosses have noticed women are being dropped off directly at the door and are avoiding travelling from club to club. “When a lot of people are turned away at the door, they become aggressive,” reveals police chief Harry Hochuli. “The problem shifts to the streets.”

IG The White Rabbit club has been forced to clamp down after a series of alleged incidents

5604cf0974a791dd4bfec029

But now clubs fear they could be sued over discrimination since they can not categorically turn away refugees. Alexander Hangleiter, director of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association in Freiburg, says: “It’s a very thin line. If it were sued, a club would have to prove in court that it did not discriminate. And he admits: “I’m at a loss, we need the help of experts.”

Migrant Crisis: Mass exodus from the migrant camp continues Tue, October 25, 2016 Hundreds of migrants are continuing to arrive in Europe as they flee the scenes of chaos and brutality of the Islamic State in the Middle East. Play slideshow 1 of 224