AP, Berlin :
The news that one of the assailants in the Paris attacks may have crossed into Europe with refugees fleeing Syria is raising the fierce debate over Europe’s immigration policy to a new pitch.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, already under pressure from political foes and allies, seemed Saturday to hold onto her stance of placing no limits on the number of people Germany is willing to give refuge to – a stance that is increasingly being called into question.
In a somber statement hours after the attacks, she urged her countrymen to uphold European values of humanity and compassion in the face of terror.
“We believe,” she said, “in the right of every person to seek happiness and to enjoy it, in the respect for others and in tolerance.”
But her optimism, reflected in Merkel’s signature phrase that “we will manage it,” is being met with growing skepticism in Germany and abroad, and not just by those on the far right who have long opposed immigration.
Even before Friday’s attacks in Paris, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, a close Merkel ally, likened the more than 750,000 migrants who have come to Germany this year to an avalanche. His words reflect fears not just about how long the country of 80 million can keep up its open-door policy, but also about a possible violent backlash.
The news that one of the assailants in the Paris attacks may have crossed into Europe with refugees fleeing Syria is raising the fierce debate over Europe’s immigration policy to a new pitch.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, already under pressure from political foes and allies, seemed Saturday to hold onto her stance of placing no limits on the number of people Germany is willing to give refuge to – a stance that is increasingly being called into question.
In a somber statement hours after the attacks, she urged her countrymen to uphold European values of humanity and compassion in the face of terror.
“We believe,” she said, “in the right of every person to seek happiness and to enjoy it, in the respect for others and in tolerance.”
But her optimism, reflected in Merkel’s signature phrase that “we will manage it,” is being met with growing skepticism in Germany and abroad, and not just by those on the far right who have long opposed immigration.
Even before Friday’s attacks in Paris, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, a close Merkel ally, likened the more than 750,000 migrants who have come to Germany this year to an avalanche. His words reflect fears not just about how long the country of 80 million can keep up its open-door policy, but also about a possible violent backlash.
