by Boaz Bismuth
The results from Sunday's election in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were a slap in the face for the chancellor
German Chancellor
Angela Merkel dreams of being elected to a fourth term next fall. The
most popular leader in Europe has -- or more accurately, had -- every
reason to dream. Until the immigrants started to arrive. Until the
Germans grew angry, which obviously made them angry voters. Merkel
welcomed the refugees from Syria as if she was Mother Theresa. But there
was only one Mother Theresa.
The results from
Sunday's election in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were a slap in
the face for the chancellor. This is her home state, an area that was
part of the former east Germany. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union
came in third place after the Social Democratic Party, which swept up
30.5% of the vote, and even worse, the new extreme-right party,
Alternative for Germany, which won more than 21% of the vote and is
gaining momentum after declaring war on immigrants.
The fact that this
party came in second should be a warning. Europe might not like
Islamists, but it should be no less wary of the extreme Right, in
Germany in particular. It's caught between a rock and a hard place.
Europe is waking up,
but on the wrong side. Europeans are frightened of the influx of
immigrants, some of whom do not respect Europe's secular, or even
Christian, character. Some of the immigrants belong to the Islamic State
group or al-Qaida. Europe should have realized the dangers when
terrorist attacks and violence were taking place.
But in the name of
morality, it opened its gates. That was a mistake. The extreme Right was
lurking in the shadows. It realized what the conventional parties did
not: that Europeans are scared. The results can be seen in the burkini
scandal in France and an impressive showing for the extreme Right in
Germany. This isn't what we'd hoped for. This isn't the way to fight
terrorism. This isn't the way to fight radical Islam. This isn't the way
to fight anyone who doesn't respect the laws of the state.
A year ago, Germany was
a "role model." The refugees came from Syria, Iraq, the African coast,
and Afghanistan by the thousands. Under Merkel, Germany welcomed them.
The slogan was "We Will Succeed." But Germans are startled at the sheer
numbers: Over 1.1 million refugees arrived in the space of 18 months.
Germans are worried not only about the economic ramifications but also
terrorist attacks. Jihad, as well as refugees, has reached Europe's
doorstep. The past few months have seen a number of incidents in Germany
that did not provide residents with a sense of safety.
Merkel is paying the
price for her liberal immigration policy. A year ago, the media loved to
point out the Germans' friendliness toward the waves of refugees. That
was an initial response, and not universal. This time, Merkel didn't
take the long view. She satisfied the media, political correctness, and
morality. She just didn't understand that her policy was serving the
interests of the extreme Right.
Chancellor Merkel is
deserving of accolades. Since she first entered office in November 2005,
she has racked up achievements in many fields. "The telephone
chancellor" earned worldwide support. She turned Germany into a place
that was the envy of many, where people even dreamed of living.
Maybe this is where the problem
lies. Some people who shouldn't have come did. The results of the German
election aren't really a surprise. All the analysts and predictions
pointed to a sharp drop for Merkel's party. The people who voted on
Sunday comprise a mere 2% of the voters in next year's general election.
There is still time to fix things. But to do that, the conventional
political parties in Europe, the ones that in France are termed
"republican," must not leave the field to the extreme Right.
Boaz Bismuth
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=17103
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