German official denies notion Saxony no-go area for migrants

BERLIN – A regional official in the German state of Saxony has condemned an attack against an Ethiopian woman but insists there aren’t any “no-go areas” for migrants there.

Police say the 19-year-old victim was insulted Monday in Dresden by several unknown persons, one of whom then set a large dog onto her. She suffered bites and shock.

Saxony’s integration minister, Petra Koepping, said Thursday that “the attack needs to be condemned, like the attack on any person.”

She noted that a recent survey showed xenophobia is commonplace in Saxony but added: “Nevertheless there aren’t any no-go areas in Saxony for people with a migrant background.”

Saxony is a stronghold of the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party and home to the group Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West, PEGIDA.