Berlin attack poses biggest test for Merkel

A truck attack in Christmas market in Berlin killed 12 people. And IS group, as it has become customary with the extremists, claimed responsibility for the rampage. The claim came shortly after German prosecutors released a Pakistani asylum seeker who was the sole suspect in the case because of lack of evidence. The German investigators are probing the case from all angles and has not called it a terror attack.
But the right wing parties not only in Germany but across Europe seem to know the cause of this carnage. And they are exploiting the incident in a manner that best serve their interest. The attack emboldened right-wing populist critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal refugee policy. The Islamophobic and anti-immigration populist party AfD wasted no time in laying the blame on Merkel.
Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilder tweeted a picture of German Chancellor Angela Merkel spattered in blood and accused her of ‘letting in terror’ with their open border policies. French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen asked ‘how many massacres and deaths’ it will take to get governments to close borders. Austrian nationalist leader Heinz-Christian Strache called for a common approach against the radical threads of extremist. And Donald trump tweeted “the civilized world must change thinking!”
Former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage said the attack was ‘no surprise’ and would be part of Merkel’s ‘legacy’.
On the other hand mainstream politicians have been adopting a largely cautious stance. But Merkel’s Bavarian allies, the CSU, who have been among her biggest critics over the refugee issue, are already gearing up for a fight.
“We owe it to the victims, those affected and the entire population to re-examine and re-adjust our entire immigration and security policies,” said CSU chief Horst Seehofer.
Merkel’s popularity has waned over the record refugee influx. But her decision to seek a fourth term in next year’s elections was greeted with approval from 64 percent of the population after the measures began to show the positive result.
After last New Year’s Eve attack on women in Cologne, no similar outbreaks have taken place. The Merkel government has moved to deport more people. Fewer new immigrants have been accepted and application processing has been made swift. An integration law was passed, making it clear that newcomers are expected to assimilate.
As much as nationalist hotheads may hope that the attack will mark the end of Merkel’s career, the 2017 election is still far off. But Merkel needs to deploy pragmatism while dealing with the aftermath of such crisis. She must not waver as far as her policies are concerned. She should stand her ground and be resolute.
Voters are wise enough to understand right-wing divisive rhetoric for political gain. And they are mature enough to understand the government’s professional actions and communication. Merkel will be running on her skill as a crisis manager, not merely on an open door policy. The latest attack is a test far from the first one she has faced.
The incident and its aftermath won’t destroy the spirit of this vital, unsentimental, vastly tolerant and wildly mischievous country. Germany will mourn its dead but and it will move on as it has always done.