VIDEO: German held after racist attack on Syrian teen

Gulf Today Report

A racist incident in a German city against a young man has triggered a wave of criticism from around the world.

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A video footage shows a 39-year-old German man insulting a 17-year-old Syrian on a tram in Erfurt, in the eastern German state of Thuringia.

The German tells the Syrian, "Get away from my face to the country from which you came."

Then he spits on him, and kicks him several times.

According to German media, the police have arrested the accused.

Witnesses on the tram alerted officers, who were able to identify the suspect based on the video as he was already known to the police.

The Erfurt police said in a statement: “A 39-year-old German insulted a 17-year-old Syrian, and brutally kicked him. Fortunately, the victim was only slightly injured. The attack was preceded by a verbal exchange. ”

"The perpetrator has been arrested," said Bodo Ramelow, the Governor of Thuringia.

"Such a cowardly person, strong and aggressive against someone who was defenceless,” Bodo wrote on Twitter.

Anti-racism groups say there were 102 cases of far-right and anti-Semitic violence in Thuringia last year.