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PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Resign

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Phoenix One UK

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PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Resign

The anti-mass migration Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) party held a rally in the German capital Berlin this afternoon, demanding the resignation of Chancellor Angela Merkel and calling for the country to adopt a strong policy on immigration.

The AfD has seen its popularity surge as Germany struggles to deal with the huge influx of migrants, and is currently campaigning in local elections in the Saxony-Anhalt region that will be seen as an indicator of public sentiment on the issue.

AfD Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Resign

AND

https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wo...-thousands-protest-demand-merkel-resignation/
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There are a number of articles related to this, and some stating Merkel is considering resigning, though reasons for such vary. I suspect we will hear more on this during the week.

In any event, it comes as no surprise, as many expected her popularity to drop with her open refugee/migrant invitation, including myself.

One thing is clear, and that is Germany is buckling under the strain of refugee/migrant influx.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Opposition To Angela Merkel Grows – 1 in 3 Germans Want Her To Resign Over Refugee Policy

The depth of German opposition to Angela Merkel’s response to the migrant crisis is worse than previously thought, with a poll finding a third of respondents wanting her resignation.

Opposition To Angela Merkel Grows - 1 in 3 Germans Want Her To Resign Over Refugee Policy
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I thought I should add this, as it is not just those in AFD calling for Merkel to resign.

Note I used the same source as that used in post #1. For any who do not like the source supplied, a surf of the net will find a number of others, including German publications, as had been quoted within links supplied.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

It isn't much to do about nothing but it's much to do about very little.

If anyone wants to think that round about 5000 demonstrators of all sorts of leaning (albeit mostly right) represent Germany in a city of alone 3,5 million inhabitants, well, I got this bridge in Brooklyn to sell.

As to Merkel resigning, well excuse me, but................:lamo:lamo:lamo
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Chagos said:
It isn't much to do about nothing but it's much to do about very little.

If anyone wants to think that round about 5000 demonstrators of all sorts of leaning (albeit mostly right) represent Germany in a city of alone 3,5 million inhabitants, well, I got this bridge in Brooklyn to sell.

As to Merkel resigning, well excuse me, but................:lamo:lamo:lamo
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The 5000 were in Berlin itself, a first. You also fail to consider the number of people who share the same opinion but do not attend such protests. Take the Lisbon treaty protest in UK for example. Hardly anyone showed up, but hell of a lot of people in UK signed and delivered a petition to then Gordon Brown to Give the British people a say, which he still denied them and signed anyway.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

There had been numerous protests throughout Germany and both sides of argument with clash's between pro and anti immigration protesters in number of areas resulting in police stepping in and using water cannons. A number of publications also reported that the pro camp are showing signs of reduced support as migrant flood continues to flood into Germany.

Sweden, another member state that supported taking more refugees, as also seen a rise against the migrant influx into Sweden to extent of requesting aid from EU.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

The Lonely Chancellor: Merkel Under Fire as Refugee Crisis Worsens

Until recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was considered to be the most powerful politician in Europe. But now, her approach to the refugee crisis has her under fire at home and in Brussels. Can she survive? By SPIEGEL Staff

...

One of Merkel's great strengths is an unerring sense for political reality. As such, her comments at the town meeting early last week show that nobody knows better than Germany's chancellor just how precarious the situation in the country has become. The influx of refugees continues unabated and Merkel's public approval ratings continue to fall in lockstep with sinking support for her center-right Christian Democrats (CDU). Meanwhile, her quarrel with Horst Seehofer, head of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU's Bavarian sister party, has reached a new and dangerous level. Seehofer has issued so many ultimatums to the chancellor that he will eventually be forced to make good on one of his threats -- which could throw Merkel's suddenly wobbly governing coalition completely off kilter.

Merkel Under Fire as Refugee Crisis in Germany Worsens - SPIEGEL ONLINE
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The above is about a week old, and I included it to support my previous post.

Note Croatia elections were held over weekend, and immigration was major issue, which should not come as any surprise given the numbers of refugees/migrants hitting their borders to get to Germany.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Phoenix One UK said:
The 5000 were in Berlin itself, a first. You also fail to consider the number of people who share the same opinion but do not attend such protests. Take the Lisbon treaty protest in UK for example. Hardly anyone showed up, but hell of a lot of people in UK signed and delivered a petition to then Gordon Brown to Give the British people a say, which he still denied them and signed anyway.
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The whole thing in Berlin is nevertheless turned into a sensational event by the likes of breitbart and co. It shows as having not a clue about Germany.

There is no doubt that the refugee issue is worrisome to many in Germany, if indeed not to all Germans.

That doesn't make for a state crisis being just around the corner and certainly not for a government fall.

Just remember that UK clocks and continental clocks tick differently, applying the parameters of one onto the other (and vice versa) serves no purpose.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Chagos said:
The whole thing in Berlin is nevertheless turned into a sensational event by the likes of breitbart and co. It shows as having not a clue about Germany.

There is no doubt that the refugee issue is worrisome to many in Germany, if indeed not to all Germans.

That doesn't make for a state crisis being just around the corner and certainly not for a government fall.

Just remember that UK clocks and continental clocks tick differently, applying the parameters of one onto the other (and vice versa) serves no purpose.
Click to expand...

It does not change the fact that people, regardless of where they live, will try to protect what they have. In many EU member states, especially within those directly effected, the influx of refugees/migrants are seen as an invasion and threat to their way of life.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Chagos said:
The whole thing in Berlin is nevertheless turned into a sensational event by the likes of breitbart and co. It shows as having not a clue about Germany.

There is no doubt that the refugee issue is worrisome to many in Germany, if indeed not to all Germans.

That doesn't make for a state crisis being just around the corner and certainly not for a government fall.

Just remember that UK clocks and continental clocks tick differently, applying the parameters of one onto the other (and vice versa) serves no purpose.
Click to expand...

Interestingly a number of EU populists have been pulling out the argument of last resort in connection with the refugees, the crisis and the deepening of the Union. Both Merkel and Asselborn among others have done so. Merkel for instance said that there could be war in Europe over the issue, should the EU not change and Asselborn pronounced that the EU could break apart very (unheimlich) quickly if boarder defense and not solidarity ruled inside the EU and towards the outside. This would be an astounding thing to say, considering that the numbers thus far involved at the EU level are actually quite small by comparison. But you do not usually bring out the big guns and fire them, unless you are gearing for an attack or are in a real pickle.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

joG said:
Interestingly a number of EU populists have been pulling out the argument of last resort in connection with the refugees, the crisis and the deepening of the Union. Both Merkel and Asselborn among others have done so. Merkel for instance said that there could be war in Europe over the issue, should the EU not change and Asselborn pronounced that the EU could break apart very (unheimlich) quickly if boarder defense and not solidarity ruled inside the EU and towards the outside. This would be an astounding thing to say, considering that the numbers thus far involved at the EU level are actually quite small by comparison. But you do not usually bring out the big guns and fire them, unless you are gearing for an attack or are in a real pickle.
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Oh, they're in a real pickle all right.

These sound bites are in my book idiotic but then when have we ever known politicians, given the choice between presenting rationality as argument and painting the doomsday picture, to refrain from them?

Merkel was referring more to the ex-Eastern bloc BTW, realtively recently pacified and even then at a level of sustainability one might have reservations about.

What neither Merkel nor Asselborn take into consideration is that the idealistic concept of the EU as the only means to avoid further armed conflict in Europe, primarily results from post-war Franco-German desires to end the "Erzfeindschaft" (historical enmity) once and for all. That's something that the many nations having meanwhile joined the club know virtually nothing about and don't particularly care to either.

It's currently convenient for certain political factions EU-wide to exploit the thing that can be seen, even where most citizens see it on the news more than in the neighborhood.

To stay within the picture, Germany took in up to 14 million German refugees at the end of and following WWII, the bulk of them in what was to be "West" Germany. One might argue that these "Prussians" were of the same culture but Bavarians and Rhinelanders would disagree to this day.

The one-millionth guest worker (a Portuguese) arrived as early as 1964. There are currently round about 1,8 million Turks living in Germany, all frictions considered Sharia still didn't make much headway.

The number of East Germans moving West with re-unification surpassed the 2 million mark, large swaths of the former GDR being vastly de-populated as a consequence (there are villages kept alive by pensioners and thus looking like old-age homes).

People forget.

Nevertheless, by the time we'll all be getting our panties in a wad again over the next bailout of whoever, hardly anyone will be remembering this particular episode of today.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Phoenix One UK said:
It does not change the fact that people, regardless of where they live, will try to protect what they have. In many EU member states, especially within those directly effected, the influx of refugees/migrants are seen as an invasion and threat to their way of life.
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It also does not change the fact that "many" are not "all" nor, taking into account the population sizes of those concerned, a "majority".

The xenophobes of Britain are precluded from speaking with authority on an issue like this one, not only on account of xenophobia providing little rationale, but also on account of their constituting the bulk of still prevailing British insular mentality.

Keerist, I remember the hubbub among those when the Channel tunnel was inaugurated. They acted like the Battle of Britain had been betrayed and thus fought in vain, what with all the furriners that were now going to flood the country, not to mention continental foxes spreading rabies and continental rats the plague.

Most of all, of course, the filthy French. Waterloo completely cancelled out.

Heavy fog in the channel cutting the continent off (yes, a newscaster actually said that once) could no longer be relied upon:mrgreen:
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Chagos said:
It isn't much to do about nothing but it's much to do about very little.

If anyone wants to think that round about 5000 demonstrators of all sorts of leaning (albeit mostly right) represent Germany in a city of alone 3,5 million inhabitants, well, I got this bridge in Brooklyn to sell.
Click to expand...

These protesters are just the people who are open with their opinions. There could be tens of thousands more in just Berlin who are against the migrant influx/government immigration policies but are afraid to show their opinions overtly for fear of being marked as "racist" which would destroy their lives.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

Chagos said:
Oh, they're in a real pickle all right.

These sound bites are in my book idiotic but then when have we ever known politicians, given the choice between presenting rationality as argument and painting the doomsday picture, to refrain from them?

Merkel was referring more to the ex-Eastern bloc BTW, realtively recently pacified and even then at a level of sustainability one might have reservations about.

What neither Merkel nor Asselborn take into consideration is that the idealistic concept of the EU as the only means to avoid further armed conflict in Europe, primarily results from post-war Franco-German desires to end the "Erzfeindschaft" (historical enmity) once and for all. That's something that the many nations having meanwhile joined the club know virtually nothing about and don't particularly care to either.

It's currently convenient for certain political factions EU-wide to exploit the thing that can be seen, even where most citizens see it on the news more than in the neighborhood.

To stay within the picture, Germany took in up to 14 million German refugees at the end of and following WWII, the bulk of them in what was to be "West" Germany. One might argue that these "Prussians" were of the same culture but Bavarians and Rhinelanders would disagree to this day.

The one-millionth guest worker (a Portuguese) arrived as early as 1964. There are currently round about 1,8 million Turks living in Germany, all frictions considered Sharia still didn't make much headway.

The number of East Germans moving West with re-unification surpassed the 2 million mark, large swaths of the former GDR being vastly de-populated as a consequence (there are villages kept alive by pensioners and thus looking like old-age homes).

People forget.

Nevertheless, by the time we'll all be getting our panties in a wad again over the next bailout of whoever, hardly anyone will be remembering this particular episode of today.
Click to expand...

Nice summary but for the last sentence, unless you meant like people have largely forgotten Greece for now. Under the surface, I am not so sanguine, really. This is especially true regarding the UK, whose population must watching the messes escaping the Pampers that had been put on the EU for safety.
 
Re: PICTURES: AfD Protest In Berlin Demands Stronger Borders, Calls For Merkel To Res

joG said:
Nice summary but for the last sentence, unless you meant like people have largely forgotten Greece for now. ...............
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. I'd assume "forgotten" not to be the apt term, the issue has however (for now) moved down the list quite a bit.
 
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