Muslim migrants – angry that they weren’t being given “enough Nutella, Gummibears and chocolate” – burned a conference center to the ground in Dusseldorf, Germany, during Ramadan, according to German Red Cross employees.
The migrants caused nearly $10.6 million in damage to the building used as a major hub to house refugees on June 7, the Express reported Monday.
It was during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting in which Muslims avoid eating meals during the day. The community center canceled its regular daily lunches, even for non-Muslims. But it provided meals during the early mornings and late evenings.
For non-Muslims, the center provided cold food and snacks during the day. Those snacks included Nutella, Gummibears and chocolate.
But a gang of Muslim migrants reportedly grew angry that the day-time treats were in short supply by nightfall. So the migrants set fire to the hall, which housed 280 people.
As they torched the building, the migrants reportedly shouted, “There isn’t enough Nutella, Gummibears and chocolate.”
German Red Cross cook Stefan Gross told the Express, “Most migrants were satisfied. There are always very few who complain.”
The fires injured 26 people. The community center must now be completely rebuilt.
A state court spokesman told the Express the attack “was triggered by a dispute about food during Ramadan.”
The news site reported that two men have been charged with arson. One is an Algerian known as Adel D., who is facing accusations of aggravated arson and dangerous bodily harm. The other, a Moroccan known as Mohammed B., attempted to rally more migrants to help light fires and is accused of arson.
The New York Times earlier reported that the “suspects had entered Germany under false names and nationalities, and had to be identified through their fingerprints.”
Meanwhile, just one hour away in Dortmund, Germany, the retail store Woolworth has canceled Christmas because it says its only customers are Muslims, according to the Express.
Woolworth owns 300 stores across Germany. The Dortmund store removed its Christmas decorations, gifts and Santa Clauses after only a few days of display. A store associate reportedly told shoppers, “We are a Muslim business now. We do not want to sell Christmas articles.”
“The Christmas articles are hardly in demand here,” manager Seda Capakcur told the Express. “Already last year, everything remained unsold.”
But company representatives higher up the chain said Woolworth is not a Muslim company.
“Woolworth is, of course, not a Muslim company,” spokeswoman Diana Preisert told the paper. “Christmas merchandise is available from September onward and should be sold out by the end of December. In this branch, however, demand was too low. Therefore, the goods were distributed to other branches.”
She said the Dortmund store is located in an area that is now mainly Islamic, and it had specific “local conditions.” In 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes migrants – many of them Muslims from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq – and thousands moved to the Ruhr Valley, where Dortmund is located.