The German chancellor can save her open-door policy, but she’ll have to spend billions on a pay-off Last summer Angela Merkel swung open her country’s gates to the largest migration since the war. By year’s end, 1.1 million people had streamed into Germany from the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans: in January it was another 100,000. And yet, the chancellor won’t budge. Her mantra is “_Wir schaffen das_”, Merkel-speak for “yes, we can”. At first, her compatriots did her proud, putting to shame the French who keep several thousand refugees cooped up in Calais, and the British who bar them from England’s green and pleasant land. Germany’s authorities managed to whisk thousands off into shelters across the country. Armies of donors and volunteers pitched in with food, clothes and hands-on help. Related: Angela Merkel faces party rebellion over Germany's stance on refugees Related: Refugee crisis: UK to back calls for EU to send more money to Turkey Continue reading...
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com |