Germany and other EU countries turned a blind eye to displaced people for too long, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. She also cautioned against some politicians' rhetoric on the influx of migrants.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
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Angela Merkel has largely held to her August 31, 2015, assertion that "we can do this" (German: "Wir schaffen das.") in an interview with Germany's "Süddeutsche Zeitung" daily. Her now famous statement was in regard to Germany's ability to take in hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
The chancellor, who has faced months of criticism for her optimism, told SZ that Germany and other EU states failed to react to mounting evidence of a crisis.
"There are political issues that one can see coming but don't really register with people at that certain moment - and in Germany, we ignored both the problem for too long and blocked out the need to find a pan-European solution," Merkel said.
She added that Germany also erred in years past when it "rejected a proportional distribution of refugees" by shifting responsibility for displaced people to the European Union's maritime borders for over a decade.
Has Merkel's policy on migration changed over the past year?
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Germany has now taken in most of the more than 1 million migrants from the Middle East and Asia who arrived in the European Union last year.
In the interview, Merkel admonished German politicians to express themselves in moderate terms and not participate in the current ratcheting up of rhetoric about threats from abroad.
"It's simply incorrect to say that terrorism came only with the refugees," Merkel told SZ. "It was already here in myriad forms and with the various potential attackers that we have been watching."
'Deeply convinced'
Merkel's self-criticism was published to coincide with the anniversary of her initial "wir schaffen das" exhortation. She noted in the interview that she was "deeply convinced" when she said those words to the nation.
"Germany will remain Germany - with all that is dear to us," Merkel told SZ. "But Germany has undergone constant change since the beginning of the federal republic. Change is nothing bad. It's a necessary part of life."
mkg/gsw (Reuters, AFP, dpa, kna)
How a selfie with Merkel changed a refugee's life
Are you addicted to taking selfies? Or do you laugh them off as a trend among teenagers? For Anas Modamani one particular selfie proved to be life-changing.
Image: Anas Modamani
Meeting Angela Merkel
While in a refugee camp in Berlin Spandau, Anas Modamani heard that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel was coming for a visit and would be talking to refugees. The 19-year-old Syrian, who is quite fond of social media, went to take a selfie. He was hoping for the selfie to inspire a real change in his life..
Image: Anas Modamani
Escape to Europe
When Modamani's house in Damascus was bombed, he fled with his parents and siblings to a smaller city called Garia. That is when Anas fled for Europe in the hope that his family could join him there, once he had made it. He first traveled to Lebanon and from there to Turkey and then on to Greece.
Image: Anas Modamani
Dangerous journey
Anas almost died on the way. In order to get to Greece from Turkey he had to travel in a rubber boat, like most refugees. Anas says the boat was overcrowded and eventually capsized and he almost drowned.
Image: Anas Modamani
Five weeks by foot
From Greece Anas traveled by foot to Macedonia. He continued to Hungary and Austria. In September 2015, he reached his final destination: Munich. Once in Germany, he decided he wants to move to Berlin. He has been living there ever since.
Image: Anas Modamani
Waiting for an asylum
Upon arrival to Berlin, Anas spent entire days in front of the LaGeSo, a refugee center in the city. The 19-year-old says that the situation at the LaGeSo was difficult, especially during the winter. Eventually he was sent to the refugee center in Berlin Spandau. He wanted to raise awareness to his situation as a refugee and a selfie with Merkel seemed like the perfect chance to do exactly that.
Image: Anas Modamani
A family at last
Anas says that the selfie with Chancellor Merkel was a life-changer for him. He got a lot of media attention after the photo was published online, and that is how his German foster family became aware of him. He has been living with them for 2 months now. They have been supporting him ever since he became a member of their family.
Image: Anas Modamani
Missing home
Since living with the Meeuw's Anas is happier than ever before. He is doing a German language course, has made a lot of friends and is doing a lot of cultural activities. He graduated high school in Syria and wants to pursue higher studies in Germany. But his main aim right now is to be officially granted asylum and to be able to bring his family to Germany as well.
Image: Anas Modamani
Negative sentiment towards refugees
Anas is hoping for a good and safe life in Germany. But he is worried about the current sentiment towards refugees in the country. He thinks that the negative mood might escalate and have an impact on the laws in regard to refugees. Anas fears that he might not be granted asylum after all, thus ending his dream of bringing his family to Germany.
