GETTY Jens Muller's comments came weeks after the Cologne sex attacks

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The mayor of Bad Schlema, in eastern Germany, was asked by a resident about young girls allegedly being harassed by refugees in a nearby town. But the elderly man's concerns that his granddaughter could be attacked were batted away by the brazen mayor, local media said. Jens Muller is believed to have told him: "That's easy [to avoid], just don't provoke them and don't walk in these areas."

The politician is said to have been heckled for his shocking comments, which came just weeks after a string of sickening sex attacks by migrants in Cologne. According to a transcript posted online, one resident told him: "They [the migrants] come here and we're not allowed to walk here any more." The transcript claims Muller responded by saying: "Well, it's not technically necessary for the girls to walk there. There are alternative routes for going to school."

GETTY Hundreds of women reportedly being sexually assaulted on New Year's Eve

Around 100 furious far-right activists protested outside the meeting, urging German leader Angela Merkel to resign in the wake of the Cologne attacks. Muller, who belongs to Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party, described the response as "scary", adding: "It seems that the mood has shifted." The protest is thought to have been organised by the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany.

GETTY Swathes of far-right activists protested in the German city after the attacks

Last year a school in Bavaria ordered teenage girls not to wear "revealing" clothes following the opening of a nearby migrant shelter. They were told wearing short skirts "could lead to misunderstandings" – sparking a furious response from parents. Headteacher Martin Thalhammer added: "The Syrian citizens are mainly Muslims and speak Arabic. The refugees are marked by their own culture. "Because our school is directly next to where they are staying, modest clothing should be adhered to, in order to avoid discrepancies."