Views /Editorial

Once hailed as a hero by the world for spreading the red carpet to asylum seekers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now facing public anger for her actions.

It’s an irony of fate. Once hailed as a hero by the world for spreading the red carpet to asylum seekers and setting a powerful example to the rest of the world, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now paying a heavy price for the same generosity and empathy towards the refugees. Reports yesterday said that popular support for the German leader has plunged to its lowest level in four-and-a-half years. Reason: her handling of the refugee crisis. In another disturbing trend, the survey conducted by the public broadcaster ARD showed a drop in support for Merkel’s conservatives, while support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party rose to its highest ever point in the poll.
Merkel has shown rare courage and statesmanship on the refugee issue which surprised and even puzzled her European counterparts. More than 1.1 million asylum seekers entered Germany last year, and the welcome they received prompted hundreds of thousands of others to knock at the doors of Europe. Other European countries came under huge pressure and Merkel’s magnanimity began to be viewed with suspicion. At home, the initial euphoria at providing refuge to victims of war subsided and gradually metamorphosed into indifference and anger. The mass sexual assaults on women in Cologne in Germany on New Year’s Eve, allegedly perpetrated by refugees,  created a furor, which was exploited to the hilt by far-right parties.
The right-minded people all over the world would wish that Merkel is not punished for her stance towards refugees. 
It’s a huge challenge because 81 percent of the respondents in the poll did not believe the government was handling the refugee crisis well - a sign of rising dissatisfaction with efforts to limit the influx of those fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. It also shows the challenge faced by the Germany’s grand coalition parties - the CDU, CSU and Social Democrats (SPD) - to convince voters they can master the refugee crisis before three state elections scheduled in March.
The policies adopted by countries like Denmark to stem the arrival of refugees has adversely affected Merkel. Some of them adopted tough laws to prevent the entry of refugees, and many Germans started thinking that they have been saddled with a huge number of refugees. Merkel herself has toned down her stance in reaction to the public anger, and has even started adopting an aggressive stance. Responding to public pressure, the government agreed last week to tighten asylum rules. On Wednesday, the cabinet backed plans to declare Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia “safe countries”, which would end their citizens’ chance of being granted asylum.
 

Once hailed as a hero by the world for spreading the red carpet to asylum seekers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now facing public anger for her actions.

It’s an irony of fate. Once hailed as a hero by the world for spreading the red carpet to asylum seekers and setting a powerful example to the rest of the world, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now paying a heavy price for the same generosity and empathy towards the refugees. Reports yesterday said that popular support for the German leader has plunged to its lowest level in four-and-a-half years. Reason: her handling of the refugee crisis. In another disturbing trend, the survey conducted by the public broadcaster ARD showed a drop in support for Merkel’s conservatives, while support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party rose to its highest ever point in the poll.
Merkel has shown rare courage and statesmanship on the refugee issue which surprised and even puzzled her European counterparts. More than 1.1 million asylum seekers entered Germany last year, and the welcome they received prompted hundreds of thousands of others to knock at the doors of Europe. Other European countries came under huge pressure and Merkel’s magnanimity began to be viewed with suspicion. At home, the initial euphoria at providing refuge to victims of war subsided and gradually metamorphosed into indifference and anger. The mass sexual assaults on women in Cologne in Germany on New Year’s Eve, allegedly perpetrated by refugees,  created a furor, which was exploited to the hilt by far-right parties.
The right-minded people all over the world would wish that Merkel is not punished for her stance towards refugees. 
It’s a huge challenge because 81 percent of the respondents in the poll did not believe the government was handling the refugee crisis well - a sign of rising dissatisfaction with efforts to limit the influx of those fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. It also shows the challenge faced by the Germany’s grand coalition parties - the CDU, CSU and Social Democrats (SPD) - to convince voters they can master the refugee crisis before three state elections scheduled in March.
The policies adopted by countries like Denmark to stem the arrival of refugees has adversely affected Merkel. Some of them adopted tough laws to prevent the entry of refugees, and many Germans started thinking that they have been saddled with a huge number of refugees. Merkel herself has toned down her stance in reaction to the public anger, and has even started adopting an aggressive stance. Responding to public pressure, the government agreed last week to tighten asylum rules. On Wednesday, the cabinet backed plans to declare Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia “safe countries”, which would end their citizens’ chance of being granted asylum.