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25 Jul, 2015 14:58

‘Nazis eat falafel in secret’: German artists mock far-right extremists on billboards

German artists have mocked neo-Nazis on billboards in the town of Freital in German Saxony, where the far-right factions have repeatedly staged protests outside a planned home for asylum seekers.

Artists‘ group Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)– who describe themselves as “adbusters“ have pasted their own posters over the bus stop adverts.

The posters read: “Switch on brain, turn off racism”, “Nazis eat falafel in secret”, “A fox is clever and acts dumb, a Nazi does the opposite”.

“If I have any recipe of how to reduce the right-wing tensions, I would simply do it, but I don’t. My weapon is humorous street art,” an artist from the group, who would not disclose his identity, told RT in an on-air interview.

FREITAL startet den Tag mit 21 hübschen Plakaten.Bisher meine größte Intervention in einer verhältnismäßig kleinen...

Posted by Dies Irae on Thursday, 23 July 2015

The group’s Facebook post on the campaign has gathered thousands of ‘likes.’ There have also been negative reactions, with some blaming the group for having staged a "stupid" provocation.

“Some people got really angry, but there is of course positive reaction on the internet, but I’m not sure about the people of Freital. [Surely] the supporters of refugees really liked it,” the anonymous artist from the Dies Irae told RT.

The campaign comes in the wake of a town hall meeting in Freital earlier this month, when locals lashed out at politicians who attempted to explain why they were housing refugees.

One woman, speaking at the meeting said that asylum seekers “just cause filth and rubbish and throw everything out of the window,” the Local reported.

The Freital anti-migrant attitudes aren’t unique in Germany. On Friday evening, a demonstration against asylum seekers by the far-right National Democratic Party faced a larger counter-protest and ended up in violence with three people being injured, the dpa news agency reported.

Massive far-right demonstrations have also taken place in Magdeburg, Berlin, Saalfeld, and in other German cities during the year.

Last month, a suspected arson attack on migrants and a refugee center took place in Meissen.

It’s not the first time campaigners in Germany have used their wits to confront far-right activists. Last November, a charity in the small town of Wunsiedel tricked neo-Nazis into holding a march designed to raise funds for the fight against extremism.

READ MORE: German neo-Nazis tricked into holding fundraising walk for anti-fascist charity (VIDEO)

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