German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said in an interview published Thursday that he believed the issue of migration to be the root of all political problems in the country
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said in an interview published Thursday that he believed the issue of migration to be the root of all political problems in the country.
"The migration issue gives birth to all political problems in this country. I have been saying this for three years already. And this has been confirmed by many polls. Many people now associate their social anxieties with the migration issue," Seehofer told the Rheinische Post daily.
At the same time, the minister noted that it has been difficult to reach a common European solution this problem.
"Let's take, for example, our agreement with Italy � for every migrant we return, we must take back one another. This is a zero-sum game � it creates order but no restrictions," the minister added.
Seehofer also commented on the recent violent events in the eastern German city of Chemnitz, stating that "such situations cost us the public's trust."
Chemnitz has seen a wave of mass anti-immigrant rallies and counterprotests in recent weeks, with thousands of people, including far-right radicals, taking to the streets. The rallies were sparked by the murder of a German citizen on August 26, allegedly at the hands of two migrants of Iraqi and Syrian decent, who have since been arrested. Around 18 people have been injured and hundreds have been detained, according to media reports.
Germany has been one of the EU states which have accepted the largest number of people since Europe's migration crisis erupted in 2015. Berlin's open-door policy, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of people pouring into the country from the middle East and North Africa, has prompted criticism from those claiming that the security situation in the country has worsened due to the influx of migrants.
