GETTY A promotional picture for a German beer festival

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German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the move to ban ads which "reduce women or men to sexual objects" is an attempt to create a "modern gender image”. The proposal, if introduced later this year, would see courts decide on what qualifies as sexist. The plan has been called political correctness gone mad by its critics, who said it was the first step towards a “nanny state”.

It comes following a controversy over claims made by a senior politician that some schools and canteens in Germany are 'banning' the serving of pork to avoid offending Muslim migrants. Free Democratic Party (FPD) leader Christian Lindner said: "His plans to ban nudity and sexual advertising are completely narrow-minded.

GETTY Thousands of women were assaulted on New Year's Eve

“To demand the veiling of women or taming of men, is something known among radical Islamic religious leaders, but not from the German minister of justice." The move comes a day after the first case related to a string of sexual assaults and muggings against women across on New Year’s Eve went to trial.

GETTY The first Cologne case has gone to trial

The defendant, identified only as Toufik M, is accused of being part of a group of 15 to 20 men who surrounded a woman and groped her. Thousands of women were sexually assaulted, attacked and mugged across Germany during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The attacks were blamed largely on migrant men, fuelling a tense debate on Germany’s immigration policy. Germany's Association of Communications Agencies (GWA) described Maas' proposal as "completely absurd", arguing that the discussion about rules on advertising would be reduced to a "matter of taste". A draft amendment of the law relating to advertising is due to be discussed by the German government shortly.

GETTY Angela Merkel's immigration policy has been criticised since the sexual assaults