News / Germany

German far-rights hold anti-refugee demo in Magdeburg

Sunday, 10 April 2016 6:31 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 10 April 2016 6:30 AM ]

Far-right extremists protest against refugees in Magdeburg, Germany, on April 9, 2016.

Hundreds of far-right extremists have taken to the streets of the German city of Magdeburg to protest against the arrival of refugees to the Western European country under what they called lax asylum policies.

Police presence was heightened during Saturday event due to a planned counter-protest organized by several left-wing organizations. The counter-march, however, was cancelled due to security reasons.

One far-right protester was arrested after attacking a journalist during the rally, which gathered some 700 people supporting different right-wing organizations.

Saturday’s demonstration was organized by the group called Gemeinsam-Stark Deutschland.

Germany opened its borders to the refugees last summer with a welcoming mood, but it gradually shifted away from the policy and now Chancellor Angela Merkel stresses that the number of asylum seekers arriving in the country needs to be reduced.

Recently, the European Union (EU) and Turkey reached a controversial deal, under which refugees arriving in Greece would be sent back to Turkey if they do not apply for asylum or if their claim is rejected. For every Syrian refugee returned to Turkey, another will be resettled in the EU.

According to a new ARD-Deutschlandtrend survey, 56 percent of Germans believe that the agreement is ‘rather bad’, compared to 39 percent rating it ‘rather good.’

Refugees queue for food at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the Greek village of Idomeni on March 15, 2016. ©AFP

Germany, one of the most popular destinations for refugees, registered about 1.1 million refugees between January and December 2015. The country is expecting 2.5 million more to arrive over the next five years.

Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

More than 172,900 asylum seekers have reached Europe via the Mediterranean so far this year, while over 700 people died in their journey to the continent, according to the latest figures by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

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