A political storm is brewing in Germany, with, at its epicentre, a board member of the country’s Central Bank.

Thilo Sarrazin has caused an outcry with his outspoken criticism of the country’s Turkish and Arab immigrants – and this is not the first time.

In a new book detailing what he claims is Germany’s “demise”, Sarrazin claims immigration and higher birth rates mean the country is effectively “turning Muslim.”

Politicians say he has crossed the line.The leader of the Green Party said not only do his comments damage the image of the Bundesbank, they also incite racial hatred. She warned Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government would bear the brunt.

Last year, Sarrazin told a magazine that Berlin’s Arab and Turkish immigrants had no useful function apart from the fruit and vegetable trade.

He was threatened with expulsion from the social democrat SPD and stripped of some duties by the Bundesbank.

What happens this time remains to be seen.

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