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Attacks In Germany On The Rise

Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, says “dark forces” are on the rise in her country, in the form of far-right nationalists and other extremist groups. She says fellow Germans need to be aware of their history. She made the comments to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour shortly after German Jews were warned not to wear traditional dress in public, due to the rise in anti-Semitic attacks.

“In Germany, obviously, they always have to be seen in a certain context, in the context of our past, which means we have to be that much more vigilant than others,” Merkel said. “There is to this day not a single Synagogue not a single daycare center for Jewish children, not a single school for Jewish children that do not need to be guarded by German policemen.”

Pollsters predicted that far-right parties would do well in European elections last week. But the far-right surge failed to materialize, in Germany and elsewhere, CNN reports.

“That the forecasted far-right surge in last week’s European elections didn’t happen was largely attributed to increased support for pro-European Union green and liberal parties and an increased turnout across the bloc,” CNN reports. “In Germany, the green party finished second to Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union.”

Even though they didn’t gain grounds in the polls, Merkel told Amanpour the growing popularity of nationalist parties, like Alternative for Germany, is concerning.

“We have to tell our young people what history has brought over us and others,” Merkel said.