Merkel Flies Home to Put Out Fire of Protest Over Open Door for Refugees

Following terrorist attacks perpetrated by assailants who entered Germany as refugees from Syria and Afghanistan and left 18 dead since July 18, the German people are accusing Chancellor Angela Merkel of opening the door to violence through her “open door” policy. Cutting her vacation short, Merkel flies to Berlin on Thursday where she will hold a news conference to deal with the growing controversy. Merkel had become the symbol of political leaders who called for humanitarian assistance for refugees, allowing more than one million to pour in from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Public resentment toward Merkel continues to intensify as an opposition leader compared her to French President Hollande who hurried to the scene of an attack in a French town. Merkel, meanwhile, is being criticized for failing to visit the scene of any attack on German soil. Merkel has supported allowing refugees in with a public relations slogan of “We can do this.”