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They waved placards depicting the embattled Chancellor as a prisoner at a demonstration in Cologne this afternoon. Some also carried banners calling for mosques to be shut down. They were met by a counter-demonstration of far-left activists holding signs reading "Cologne against hate".

The mass protests comes one year after 1,310 individuals said they were victims of crime in Cologne city centre on New Year Eve's. A staggering 662 women claimed they had been sexually assaulted and 28 saying they had been raped. The horrific assaults helped fuel the rise of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

REUTERS Furious far-right protesters want Angela Merkel to be locked up

Angela Merkel in pictures Tue, August 8, 2017 Angela Merkel has served as German Chancellor since 2005 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000. We take a look at her political career in pictures. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 83 Angela Merkel through the years

REUTERS The activists carried banners calling for mosques to be shut down

Under-fire Mrs Merkel fears the right-wing populists will erode her support in this year's national election. More than 800,000 refugees arrived in Germany in 2015 after Mrs Merkel opened the country's doors to people fleeing Syria. She has since admitted the country is struggling to cope with the huge influx and has vowed to deport failed asylum seekers.

REUTERS They were met by a counter-demonstration of left-wingers

The German leader, fighting for a fourth term in office, has always made numerous U-turns on her soft stance towards migrants. Since the Cologne attacks she has suggested burka bans and migrant caps. But in a New Year's message released last week, she insisted the country would remain "free, considerate and open".

REUTERS The German leader is fighting for a fourth term in office