Germany's Merkel Condemns Far-Right, Anti-Immigrant Protests & Attacks, 2 Days of Violence
"‘Hate in the Streets’ Has No Place in Germany: Merkel," AFP, Aug. 28, 2018.
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday condemned violent far-right protests that degenerated into attacks against foreign-looking people, saying “hate in the streets” has no place in Germany.
After the fatal stabbing of a German man, 35, allegedly by a Syrian and an Iraqi, thousands of protesters marched in the eastern city of Chemnitz for two straight days, some chasing down people they believed were immigrants.
Police reported assaults by extremists against at least three foreigners on Sunday, while investigations were opened in 10 cases of the protesters performing the illegal Hitler salute. At least 20 people were injured on Monday as pyrotechnics and other objects were hurled by both far-right demonstrators as well as anti-fascist counter-protesters in the city.
“What we have seen is something which has no place in a constitutional democracy,” Merkel told journalists. “We have video recordings of (people) hunting down others, of unruly assemblies, and hate in the streets”.. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said federal police were ready to provide backup for overwhelmed officers in Saxony state, where Chemnitz is located.
‘Pogrom sentiment’: The ugly scenes of mostly white men, many of them extremist football hooligans, hurling abuse at people they deemed to be foreigners, have deeply alarmed Germany. “Of course history is not repeating itself, but that a far-right mob is on a rampage in the middle of Germany and the authorities are overwhelmed, is reminiscent of the situation during the Weimar Republic,” said Spiegel Online.
The Weimar years were marked by the formation of paramilitary groups, such as the Sturmabteilung or SA, which eventually helped the Nazis to power. Josef Schuster, who chairs the Central Council of Jews in Germany, also voiced his alarm, saying it is “now the duty of citizens to counter the far-right mob”.
Anetta Kahane of the anti-racism Amadeu Antonio Foundation told news channel NTV that, while people have the right to demonstrate, “what happened in Chemnitz went beyond that — it was incitement to hatred and the propagation of pogrom sentiment.”..
‘Nothing more dangerous’: Saxony state, where Chemnitz is located and which is the birthplace of the Islamophobic PEGIDA street movement, has repeatedly come under intense scrutiny as a hotbed for hate crimes. The state is at the heart of misgivings over Germany’s decision to welcome more than a million asylum seekers since 2015, many from war-torn Syria and Iraq. Railing against the newcomers, the far-right AfD party has made significant gains in Saxony and is poised, according to the latest polls, to become the second biggest party in its regional elections next year.
Critics warned that the authorities have for years failed to take the far-right threat seriously...
Read More, https://www.worldnews.com.ng/2018/08/28/hate-in-the-streets-has-no-place-in-germany-merkel.html
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*More Coverage, DW (Deutsche Welle) https://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/s-9097
DW- "Angela Merkel Warns Against Erosion of Democracy," Merkel defended democratic values in an interview following a contentious summer for her government. "Democracy is more than just somebody getting a majority," Merkel said. "Democracy is protection for minorities, press freedom, the right to demonstrate- democracy is independent courts." If the independence of those institutions is no longer safeguarded, "then democracy would no longer be complete,"..
Chemnitz fears for reputation after demo night. The eastern German city has been recovering after being the scene of a far-right demonstration and violence. A fatal stabbing, blamed on a Syrian, preceded the unrest. Residents have not welcomed the new media attention.
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German officials are so worried about Turkey’s economic troubles spilling into Europe that Berlin is considering the possibility of providing economic support to the country, according to reports. Germany, whose government is under pressure from the right to quell the inflows of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Northern Africa, is concerned that the arrival of refugees to Turkey, which would coincide with the country’s growing economic crisis, could destabilize Europe and send even more migrants escaping into Europe.
With the Turkish Lira’s value plummeting and local companies grappling with how to pay off massive debts borrowed in foreign currency, the question of whether Turkey will need a bailout has been looming for weeks. Nonetheless, it’s unclear who exactly would pay for the bailout or how much the country would need. Both the EU and International Monetary Fund could potentially take responsibility for saving Turkey, an event that would be reminiscent of Greece’s financial bailout several years ago.- More.
https://www.newsweek.com/who-will-bail-out-erdogan-germany-may-save-turkeys-economy-protect-europe-1093774
