Sexual assaults reported at German music festival

Police have received more than two dozen reports of sexual assault and harassment at a free music festival in the German town of Darmstadt.

Large groups of men were allegedly seen surrounding female festival goers during last week's open air event.

"These people then approached the women, danced around them and touched them in an inappropriate way," a police spokesperson said.

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There are conflicting stories about the number of alleged victims, with the New York Times saying that 26 women claim to have been groped or sexually harassed.

The German news website, The Local, reports that 14 women were sexually assaulted. "Some of the reports involve several women and only after further investigations will it become clear how many of the women were victims of sexual assaults," it says.

Three men, believed to be asylum seekers from Pakistan, were arrested and charged at the event. They have since been released from police custody.

Germans have become "newly vigilant" about sexual abuse and harassment since New Year's Eve in Cologne, says the NYT. Hundreds of women reported being attacked by men of Arab and North African descent during the celebrations.

The incident sparked widespread outrage and gave right-wing parties ammunition to attack Angela Merkel's "open door" policy on refugees. The Chancellor later vowed to introduce a new law that would make it easier to deport foreigners who committed crimes in Germany.