News / Germany

Pro-, anti-refugee protests held in German towns

Sunday, 06 December 2015 10:15 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 06 December 2015 10:14 AM ]

The file photo shows protesters demonstrating with a banner that reads, 'Refugees welcome', in Dresden, eastern Germany. ©AP

Protesters have taken to the streets in the German towns of Schifferstadt and Ohringen against and in support of refugees.

Protesting groups blocked traffic and temporarily disrupted transport in Schifferstadt on Saturday. The rival rallies were held under tight security as police forces had been deployed to separate the two opposing groups.

Anti-refugee protesters were outnumbered by supporters of asylum seekers, who chanted slogans in support of the refugees.

Elsewhere, in the southwestern town of Ohringen, a group of people staged an anti-immigration rally. The right-wing protesters, however, were surprised by a much bigger counter-rally marching under police protection.

The influx of asylum seekers into Europe has sparked pro- and anti-refugee sentiments across the continent, especially in Germany that hosts the bulk of refugees for now.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy on refugees has reportedly caused increasing tensions in Germany, prompting a backlash from her conservative allies and generating a growing number of protests by far-right groups.

Germany, Europe’s top destination for refugees, is expecting to receive between 800,000 and one million asylum seekers this year. Most of the refugees are fleeing conflict-hit zones in the Middle East and Africa.

According to the recent figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 878,490 refugees have reached Europe’s shores so far this year while more than 3,560 people have either died or gone missing in their perilous journey to the continent.

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