During a campaign event for the Christian Democrats on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke on the countries recent attacks from Islamist terrorists and countered claims that her open door policy for refugees was the cause, stating that Germany had been facing this threat years before the refugee crisis began.
“The phenomenon of Islamist terrorism, of IS, is not new. It is not a phenomenon that appeared with the refugees. It’s a phenomenon that has existed here for a long time and that required the work of the security agencies. They have to be internationally connected to fight terrorists”
While Merkel’s claim that Islamist terrorists have been residing in Germany long before the refugee crisis may be true, her attempt to separate the recent attacks on the country from the refugees is going to be a hard sell as election season begins to hit Germany.
Recent refugees have been the culprits of the various attacks across the country over the past year, including a large-scale assault attack on New Years Day with 1,900 victims – 1,200 of whom were sexually assaulted.
Merkel has not yet announced whether she will be seeking reelection next year, but if she does, she will have to find a way to make a stronger argument as recent polls show that 52 percent of the German public does not agree with the refugee policy.
