Hundreds of people are huddled outside Berlin’s main government office for asylum-seekers in the pouring rain. Some have soaking sleeping bags wrapped around them against the cold, others stand shivering in thin plastic ponchos; they are all waiting to be registered as refugees.
They come every day to wait. Some arrive as early as 4am and stay until after dark, only to leave empty-handed. There are Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis. Until they are registered, they are homeless in the heart of Europe’s richest country. Many have been waiting for weeks.
The German authorities are overwhelmed, and simply cannot keep up with the thousands arriving every day.
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In Germany, her personal approval ratings have fallen to their lowest level since 2011, and her Christian Democrat party is sinking fast in the polls.
At a meeting with her own party activists in Germany last week, Mrs Merkel was told bluntly she “should be ashamed” and was a “failure as a government leader”. One activist turned up with a banner that read “Dethrone Merkel”.
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Read the whole article » | Justin Huggler in Berlin and Peter Foster, Europe Editor | Saturday, October 17, 2015
