Syrian refugees
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A senior designer at one of the world’s most iconic fashion labels stirred controversy over the weekend when he attacked Germany’s open-door immigration policy and acceptance of large numbers of Middle Eastern refugees and linked the policy to Germany’s genocide of European Jews during World War II.

Karl Lagerfeld, a German-born senior designer at the Chanel and Fendi fashion houses who now resides in France, sat down with France’s Canal 8 on Saturday night.

During the interview with the Salut les Terriens – Hi, Earthlings show, Lagerfeld slammed German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policy, and linked it with Nazi Germany’s extermination of European Jews during the Holocaust, The Times reported.

“You cannot kill millions of Jews and then take in millions of their worst enemies afterwards, even if there are decades [in between],” said Lagerfeld.

The Higher Audiovisual Council, France’s government regulator of broadcast media, is currently investigating the interview, following a wave of complaints which deemed Lagerfeld’s comments “Islamophobic”.

Lagerfeld gave a personal anecdote to highlight his concerns with mass immigration by Syrian refugees into Europe.

“I know someone in Germany who took in a young Syrian who spoke a little English,” Lagerfeld said. “After four days, do you know what he said to the woman? ‘Germany’s best invention is the Holocaust.’

The fashion designer also accused Chancellor Merkel of using immigration policy to soften her “wicked step-mother image” following German intervention in Greece’s financial crisis of 2014-2015.