German mayor resigns after far-right threats, intimidation

BERLIN – The mayor of an eastern German town is resigning after receiving repeated threats from the far right.

German news agency dpa reported Friday that Martina Angermann requested early retirement from her post as mayor of Arnsdorf, a town of about 5,000 near Dresden that made headlines in 2016 when four men tied a refugee to a tree.

Angermann had repeatedly condemned the men’s actions, prompting criminal complaints and hate mail. She has been on sick leave since February.

Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, a member of Angermann’s centre-left Social Democratic Party, expressed solidarity with the mayor and warned that such incidents threaten democracy in Germany.

Lambrecht said the government plans to toughen laws against hate crimes and far-right extremism.