The German Catholic bishops’ conference on Wednesday distanced itself from a controversial statement against tougher migration policies issued by its Berlin office just before Parliament approved a motion on stronger border controls with support from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

A 99-year-old Holocaust survivor said on Thursday he would return his federal order of merit award to the German state in protest over a parliamentary vote in which support from the far-right was used for the first time to secure a majority.

Germany's opposition conservatives won parliamentary approval on Wednesday for a proposal to drastically restrict migration with the help of votes from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), breaking a taboo on cooperation with the far-right.