Germany steps up border checks over migration worries
Germany reintroduced temporary border checks including at its frontiers with France and the Netherlands on Monday as part of efforts to combat irregular migration and cross-border crime. The coalition government has toughened its stance on migration following a surge in arrivals, in particular people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, and a rise in support for the opposition far-right and conservatives. The measures have, however, sparked concern among migration experts, who question their long-term effectiveness, suggesting they are more symbolic than substantive. "The signal is deterrence – an attempt to demonstrate the ability to act," said Hans Vorlaender, chairperson of Germany's expert council on integration and migration. While the border controls may be a short-term deterrent, smuggling networks often find new routes, Vorlaender said, adding that a more sustainable solution would be to process migrants asylum applications at the EU's external borders. On Germany's eastern border, at the bridge connecting the town of Frankfurt-Oder with Slubice in Poland, a German police officer stood at control points, managing the flow of traffic and ensuring rigorous border checks. "That's the right thing to do, the right way. It just should have happened much earlier," said passerby, Kerstin Rubelt. But the measure sparked a small protest by pro-asylum activists in the town, with a dozen carrying signs reading: "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Borders". "The question of whether someone comes here illegally or whether someone is a criminal is not the decisive question; the decisive question is racism, which is also promoted and triggered by this," said Rene Pachmann, Catholic university chaplain at European University Viadrina. (Reuters)