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Germany vows to fight xenophobia after attacks on refugee home

Source: News24, 23/08/2015


Berlin - Germany's interior minister led calls on Sunday for a
crackdown on right wing militants and racists after a second night of
scuffles between protesters and police outside a refugee shelter in
the eastern German town of Heidenau.


Just one day after 31 police officers were hurt in violent protests
against the asylum seekers, a Reuters photographer on Saturday night
saw some 200 mostly drunk militants in Heidenau throwing fireworks and
bottles at police.


Some shouted "Heil Hitler".
As Europe struggles with an influx of migrants fleeing war in
countries such as Syria and Iraq, German politicians are worried about
the financial and social effects on their country, the EU's biggest
recipient of refugees.


Germany, which has relatively liberal asylum laws, expects the number
of refugees to quadruple this year to 800 000, almost one percent of
the population. Chancellor Angela Merkel says the issue is a bigger
problem for Europe than Greece's debt crisis.


Interior Minster Thomas de Maiziere has described the situation as a
big challenge and condemned attacks on refugees.


"At the same time as a we see a wave of people wanting to help, we
have a rise in hate, insults and violence against asylum seekers. That
is obscene and unworthy of our country," de Maiziere told Bild am
Sonntag newspaper.


"Anyone who acts like that faces the full force of the law."


Justice Minister Heiko Maas responded to the Heidenau riot by saying
there was zero tolerance for xenophobia or racism.


Many politicians have warned about a rise in hostility towards
foreigners and, in the first half of the year alone, some 150 arson or
other attacks were recorded on refugee shelters.


With some in Merkel's party wanting to curb benefits offered to asylum
seekers and pushing for other EU states to take more of the burden,
Merkel faces a delicate political balancing act.


Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, chairman of the Social Democrats who
share power with Merkel's conservatives, on Sunday called for a
tripling of the money municipalities get for accommodation, medical
care and education for refugees.


Other politicians called for a speeding up of the processing of asylum
applications, which currently takes about eight months on average.
More than one third of asylum seekers in Germany are from southeastern
European countries such as Albania and Serbia.


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