Both actions come in the wake of alleged mass sexual assaults against women in the same area during New Year's Eve celebrations. Cologne’s police have said the culprits are believed to be men between 18 and 30 years old with ""origins in the North-African and Arabic region.""
The allegations are expected to heighten tensions around the question of migration and cultural integration, as Germany accepts nearly one million refugees and migrants, mostly fleeing conflict in the Middle East.
