A German punk song has rocketed to the top of the charts 22 years after its release, following a social media campaign condeming anti-refugee groups.

Schrei Nach Liebe (Cry For Love) was first released in 1993 by punk band Die Ärzte, when Germany was hit by a wave of neo-Nazi attacks against immigrants.

The song mocks a "really dumb" fascist. According to the lyrics, their "violence is only a silent cry for love, your combat boots crave tenderness ... oh ... asshole!"

Music teacher Gerhard Torges launched the Action Asshole initiative, calling on people to buy the single online or ask for it to be played on the radio, as Germany experiences a spate of anti-refugee attacks by far-right extremists.

The campaign rapidly gained traction and on Friday, just more than a week after its launch, the single was at the top of the German charts.

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Even pensioners have joined in, with a choir of retirees seen singing the song on a video posted by the tabloid-style newpaper Bild.

Several flashmobs of people singing the song will be staged on Saturday in Cologne, Leipzig, Karlsruhe and other German cities.

"Success of this kind is unprecedented in German chart history," said Mathias Giloth, who runs GfK Entertainment, which publishes Germany's official music charts.

Austrians and the Swiss have also backed the campaign, sending the song to number one in Austria and to second spot in Switzerland, Gfk Entertainment added.

Die Ärzte (The Doctors) said they backed the campaign and did not want to profit from it, adding all takings from the song would be donated to refugee campaign group Pro Asyl.

"We wish all Nazis and their sympathisers a bad show," they said on their website.

Wellwishers wave to migrants arriving at the main railway station in Dortmund. ( Reuters: Ina Fassbender )

AFP