The German foreign minister on Sunday called on the country’s “silent majority” to “get up off the sofa" and take a stand against the far-Right in the wake of neo-Nazi riots.

“The vast majority of Germans are cosmopolitan and tolerant,” Heiko Maas told Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

“If decent people remain silent, the racists are much louder. We have to show the world that we democrats are the majority and the racists are a minority. The silent majority must finally get louder.”

Mr Maas’ comments come after violent protests over the fatal stabbing of a man by migrants in the east German city of Chemnitz last week that saw neo-Nazis openly making Hitler salutes and hunting foreigners through the streets.

“When it comes to xenophobia, the far-Right and racism, Germany is quite rightly viewed through especially critical eyes,” the foreign minister said.

“If the Hitler salute is displayed on our streets today it is shameful for our country. Politicians must do our part, but it is a challenge for the whole of society: we have to take a stand against the far-Right.”

Mr Maas said Germans had to speak up for basic rights.

“My generation has been given freedom, the rule of law and democracy. We didn’t have to fight for it, and sometimes we take it for granted,” he said.