{"id":3675,"date":"2016-01-19T21:28:59","date_gmt":"2016-01-20T03:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=3675"},"modified":"2016-01-20T08:11:44","modified_gmt":"2016-01-20T14:11:44","slug":"updates-on-germanys-asylchaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2016\/01\/updates-on-germanys-asylchaos.html","title":{"rendered":"Updates on Germany’s #Asylchaos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3AK%C3%B6lner_Dom004_(Flight_over_Cologne).jpg<\/a>
https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3AK%C3%B6lner_Dom004_(Flight_over_Cologne).jpg By Neuwieser (Flickr: Flight over Cologne) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>That, by the way, is the hashtag coming into use in Germany for comments on the current refugee\/migrant situation. \u00a0And, yes, as much as there have been multiple reports of German authorities sweeping crimes by refugee-migrants under the rug, this seems very much to be in the past. \u00a0Not only are German politicians pushing Merkel very hard to fix this, both within and from outside her coalition, but the German press is reporting on the situation quite vigorously. \u00a0For regular updates, check out dw.com<\/a> for English news, or the English reporting at Spiegel.de<\/a>. \u00a0For instance, right now the top story at Der Spiegel is \u201cMerkel\u2019s Last Stand? Chancellor Running Out of Time on Refugee Issue<\/a>,\u201d which suggests, as the headline implies, that Merkel\u2019s hold on power is shaky unless she comes up with effective solutions ASAP.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the focus has turned to migrants from North Africa \u2014 Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, three countries to\u00a0which Germany had previously been unable to deport rejected aslyum-claimants. \u00a0Under discussion are two changes: \u00a0declaring these countries as \u201csafe countries\u201d<\/a> to which individuals can automatically be returned, and putting pressure on these countries<\/a>, which had been refusing to accept individuals who lacked passports, by threatening them will loss of foreign aid. \u00a0(Both links are to DW, in English.)<\/p>\n

Why the focus on these countries? \u00a0Partly because it\u2019s a quick fix. \u00a0The question of what to do with the much larger number of refugees from Sryia and Iraq is much more difficult.<\/p>\n

But the other reason is that the perpetrators of the Silvesternacht attacks were predominantly North African, not Middle Eastern. \u00a0And the petty thieves and pickpocketers who\u2019ve established themselves around the Cologne train station are North African, as well as the similar criminals in Duesseldorf<\/a>, and these are not new arrivals <\/a>but made there way to Germany from France, Spain, and Italy over the last three or four years.<\/p>\n

So, to be sure, these people need to be dealt with. \u00a0But at the same time it isn\u2019t rational to imagine that it\u2019s only a matter of North Africans. \u00a0It defies reason to say that it\u2019s pure coincidence that the groping\/molestation attacks occurred simultaneous to the massive number of new arrivals but are unconnected to them. And it worries me that German politicians will confine their measures to this narrower issue and declare the problem solved.<\/p>\n

Separately, with respect to the pool that had previously banned migrant men<\/a> due to groping incidents, the city has now issued a statement<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cancellation is not the result of pressure from the media\u2019s response, but rather follows intensive discussions with refugees on how they should treat women with respect, regardless of whether they have a migration background or not,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

Bornheim said last week it wanted social workers to teach asylum seekers at shelters in the area about gender equality and the need to respect women, adding that the city was not prepared to compromise on German cultural norms.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce our social workers tell us that they have received the message, we\u2019ll terminate the measure,\u201d said Markus Schnapka, head of Bornheim\u2019s social welfare office.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Once again, it is hard to believe that all that\u2019s needed is a bit of teaching.<\/p>\n

In any case, though, it does seem as if there has been a true turning point<\/a>. \u00a0These issues aren\u2019t getting swept under the rug any longer.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That, by the way, is the hashtag coming into use in Germany for comments on the current refugee\/migrant situation. \u00a0And, yes, as much as there have been multiple reports of German authorities sweeping crimes by refugee-migrants under the rug, this seems very much to be in the past. \u00a0Not only are German politicians pushing Merkel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":3676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-3675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-germany"],"yoast_head":"\nUpdates on Germany's #Asylchaos<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"That, by the way, is the hashtag coming into use in Germany for comments on the current refugee\/migrant situation. \u00a0And, yes, as much as there have been\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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