by Allanah Leahy – EM TV Online
Refugees entering Germany are currently being welcomed with open arms, however the large influx has many questioning the country’s capacity in which to manage the situation.
The mayor of Hamm, a city in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has supported the refugees though and said that the record influx was “manageable”.
UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates that over 336,000 refugees have entered Europe this year, with around 2,800 dying or disappearing during the journey.
Mayor Hunsteger-Petermann is positive that funding for refugees coming into Germany in the tens of thousands is possible with the right management and effort.
“I do think that we should have integrated more people at the beginning of the 90s. Even then, we had the problems of asylum seekers, and on top, there was the big influx of Russian-Germans. I think that it is do-able. We can manage if we all try hard. And I do hope that the federal and regional government find the money for the councils they need,” he told Reuters.
A local warehouse has been turned into a shelter, housing migrants fresh from war torn areas such as Mosul in northern Iraq, which has been occupied by ISIS.
Over 20,000 migrants entered Germany over the weekend by foot, bus or train, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called the situation manageable.
In Munich, hundreds of citizens welcomed some of these refugees with presents, candy and refreshments.
“These are people on the run. There is war. They are fearing for their lives. You can only feel compassionate for that. We help other people,” said Karin Niemeyer, a German resident and volunteer.
Germany is expecting an increase of about 800,000 refugees this year, but the country cannot continue at that rate.
Chancellor Merkel, along with Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, urged other European Union partners to agree on quotas for migrants flowing into Europe.
Source: Reuters, Asia Vision
https://youtube.com/watch?v=M6ArL9T-Y_E%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
