The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, in an address to the annual conference of the Christian Democrat party on Monday, said: “Those who seek refuge with us also have to respect our laws and traditions, and learn to speak German. Multiculturalism leads to parallel societies, and therefore multiculturalism remains a grand delusion.”
Some will find this odd given that Merkel has taken a brave stand in allowing large numbers of refugees – perhaps up to a million – to enter and be welcomed in Germany over the past few months.
Of course the plan is that their claims for refuge and asylum will be processed, some may be refused and repatriated, some may stay until there is peace in Syria, but it is not unrealistic to assume that the large majority will become long-term settlers in Germany. Some may even think that her anti-multiculturalist remarks are a sop to her party’s angry right wing, who are opposed to her humanitarian stand.
.... Germany, unlike Britain, has a declining population, and one of the consequences of the large refugee inflow is to boost the labour force. That many of the Syrian refugees are professional and business people has not been lost on analysts and employers, and already some companies have new apprenticeships targeted at the refugees. Merkel’s humanitarian instincts may yet bring long-term material benefits for her country, as long as Germany is careful not to alienate prospective citizens by demanding assimilation as the price of citizenship. [837 comments]
[TOP RATED COMMENT 483 votes] "Germany is careful not to alienate prospective citizens by demanding assimilation as the price of citizenship"
omfg, then don't come to Germany!
[2ND 436] Multiculturalism died a decade ago.
All that remains is a zombie ideology flogged by the left.
[3RD 427] "Merkel’s humanitarian instincts may yet bring long-term material benefits for her country, as long as Germany is careful not to alienate prospective citizens by demanding assimilation as the price of citizenship."
The author makes it sound like it is the Syrian refugees who are doing Germany a favour...
[4TH 400] I think if you want to live in a country you should be prepared to accept the values and laws of that country, live in accordance to them and make an effort to learn the language of that country.
[5TH 356] Multi culturalism in Sweden has been a disaster if you measure it by crime, employment, education outcomes and the like.
[6TH 355] Do any Muslim countries support multiculturalism? Would Saudi Arabia, for example, allow 500,000 Christians to move there, build churches, drink alcohol, wear whatever they feel like, and so on? I don't think so.
The idea that any country would or should allow hundreds of thousands of people to suddenly turn up, for whatever reason, and with the idea that they do not have to adhere to that country's traditions is ludicrous. That is not seeking refugee status, that is in an invasion.
[7TH 333] "Merkel’s humanitarian instincts may yet bring long-term material benefits for her country, as long as Germany is careful not to alienate prospective citizens by demanding assimilation as the price of citizenship."
I'd love to see what would happen to European women if they refused to change their own cultural values when they are in "Muslim" countries.
[8TH 328] Are we supposed to take this article seriously? There is not one single multicultural country in this world that can be called a success.
[9TH 326 ] Why is so wrong to ask immigrants to assimilate into their host community? Why should the host community lose its traditions, identity and values to accommodate people who have just arrived? This premise is absurd and leads to division and alienation not the fair request that new immigrants assimilate as waves of people before have done so over hundreds of years. [Guardian Cif] Read more
