Anschlag in Nizza: Thomas de Maizière in Gedanken bei Opfern am 15.07.2016

Statement von Thomas de Maizière zum Anschlag in Nizza.

Germany: Sexual Assaults 'Not a Totally New Phenomenon in Germany' - Interior Minister

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière addressed the events of New Year's Eve in Cologne, during a press conference in the city on Monday.

Germany Imposes Surprise Curbs On Syrian Refugees

Berlin decided against setting up 'transit zones' for processing
refugees on Germany's borders with Austria.

THE GUARDIAN: In abrupt U-turn by Merkel government, people fleeing civil war will no longer be granted asylum or refugee status

Angela Merkel has performed an abrupt U-turn on her open-door policy towards people fleeing Syria’s civil war, with Berlin announcing that the hundreds of thousands of Syrians entering Germany would not be granted asylum or refugee status.

Syrians would still be allowed to enter Germany, but only for one year and with “subsidiary protection” which limits their rights as refugees. Family members would be barred from joining them.

Germany, along with Sweden and Austria, has been the most open to taking in newcomers over the last six months of the growing refugee crisis, with the numbers entering Germany dwarfing those arriving anywhere else.

However, the interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, announced that Berlin was starting to fall into line with governments elsewhere in the European Union, who were either erecting barriers to the newcomers or acting as transit countries and limiting their own intake of refugees.

“In this situation other countries are only guaranteeing a limited stay,” De Maiziere said. “We’ll now do the same with Syrians in the future. We’re telling them ‘you will get protection, but only so-called subsidiary protection that is limited to a period and without any family unification.’” » | Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Friday, November 6, 2015

German Interior Minister de Maizière Condemns PEGIDA after 'Horrifying' Attacks

DEUTSCHE WELLE: In an interview with the German public broadcaster ARD, de Maiziere claimed that the organizers of the PEGIDA group were 'hard right-wing extremists.' The group is preparing to hold another rally in Dresden.

"They make blanket references to asylum seekers as criminals, and all politicians as being guilty of high treason," de Maiziere told the ARD television channel, alluding in part to the knife attack on Cologne mayoral candidate Henriette Reker, which was apparently in protest of the city's policies on the intake of refugees. Workers who help migrants in the city were also wounded in the attack on Saturday.

The minister referred to a tripling of attacks against asylum seekers since last year as "horrifying," and urged people - even those who did have concerns about the migrant influx - not to follow PEGIDA. "Hate prepares the ground for such acts," he said.

"Stay away from those who are injecting this hatred, this poison, into our country," he said in the interview on Sunday night. "Anyone who goes that way should know that they are following rabble rousers." » | rc/jm (dpa, Reuters) | Monday, October 19, 2015