Five members of the board of the German Bundesbank agreed unanimously on Thursday to file a request for the dismissal of sixth board member Thilo Sarrazin over disparaging comments he made about Jews and Muslims while promoting his book, Germany Abolishes Itself: How We Are Risking The Future of Our Nation. In an interview, he said, "all Jews share a particular gene," and warned of a Muslim takeover of Germany and abuse of its welfare system.

Sarrazin is a political appointee who can only be removed from office with the approval of German President Christian Wulff. Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Sarrazin's comments "unacceptable".