It has been a difficult time for Germany and Angela Merkel. On July 18, a 27-year-old Syrian refugee who was denied asylum blew himself up near a music festival in Ansbach wounding 12 people. Earlier in the same day, a 17-year-old boy from Afghanistan attacked his fellow passengers on a train in Weimar with an axe, seriously injuring four people before he was killed by the police. While condemning the attacks and calling them “a betrayal” on Thursday, Merkel reaffirmed the moral imperative that drove her government to accept over a million people seeking asylum in 2015.
But the pressure on Merkel is mounting. The chancellor has been attacked by right-wing opposition parties as well as members of her own coalition since the refugee crisis began. The latest opinion polls show that her considerable popularity has dipped over the last year. The Bavarian interior minister, whose party is an ally, is calling for a revision of the “open door” policy towards asylum seekers. Recent events — Britain’s exit from the European Union, the attack on civilians and tourists in Nice — have only exacerbated the anti-migrant sentiment in Europe. The chancellor, however, has called the integration of refugees “a historic task”, one by which globalisation will be judged, Merkel has asked Germans to stand up to the “great test before us”.
In her address to the German people, Merkel committed to tackling terror, including Islamic terror. But she refused to reject and deport people fleeing for their lives. Because such a move would only strengthen the “us vs them” narrative that both the Islamic State and the far right are trying to perpetuate. Merkel’s refusal to view the attackers as representative of all asylum seekers in her country displays a maturity and commitment to the liberal, humanitarian ethos. Of course, the influx of refugees also serves an economic need. Germany’s ageing population means that the economic powerhouse could soon be without a viable labour force. The new wave of migrants, if successfully integrated, could bridge the impending human resource gap. Yet her policies are going against the currently popular sentiment. The growth of the ultra right-wing Alternative for Germany (AFD) after refugees poured into the country is a worrying sign. For Merkel, the challenge, here and now, is to convince the German people of her own moral conviction.
