Europe

Germany's Anti-Refugee Movement Gains Momentum

For the first time, a majority of Germans now doubt the country's open policy on Europe's refugee crisis. A poll published Friday by public broadcaster ZDF found 60 percent of Germans now believe that the country cannot cope — up from 46 percent in December.

The policy, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, allowed around 1.1 million people to settle in the country in 2015. But public mood has moved against refugees and migrants, stirred by a recent string of sexual assaults by men who were described as being of "North African" background. 

Right-wing protesters carrying German flags and signs that read "Rape fugees not welcome" marched through the streets of Leipzig on Jan. 11. They were part of the anti-immigration Pegida movement, which started before the recent influx of migrants arrived but has increased its campaigning in recent months.

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