The German Problem

I was first stationed in Germany right after the Berlin Wall came down reuniting the two Germanys.  While stationed at Rhein Main (Frankfurt), reports started to come in about immigrants (not the refugees of today, these were foreigners who had legally migrated to Germany) were being attacked throughout southeastern Germany (which had just recently been part of East Germany).

The attacks were by neo-Nazis but what was more interesting were the towns that these attacks were occurring were some of the same towns were Nazism was started.  Germans don't like talking about Nazis and the neo-Nazis were always a source of embarrassment for most Germans.  However, despite the shame over the past there were still some young Germans that did not want their country soiled with foreigners, especially if there were Muslim or Asian.

Flash forward to just a few weeks ago.  Immigrants from Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East attacked at least 120 women in Germany (and yes, all of the women were white and all of their attackers were non-white migrants).  German officials tried their best to hide the news and pretend like this really didn't happen.  The US press can't understand why the German government seems to be in such denial.  But the answer is more complicated then simple denial.

If the German government officially recognizes the situation and starts to implicated Muslim immigrants then all hell will break lose.  The right wing, and especially the neo-Nazis, will come storming back into power.  As much as Germany officially condemns its Nazi past, there are still Germans today that don't share the government's take on things especially when it comes to pro-immigration.  Social Democrats and other left wing Germans are terrified they are seeing the kinds of things right wingers and neo-Nazis have been protesting about for decades….German women being sexually assaulted by dark-skinned foreigners!

The question becomes, can Germany still pretend to "hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" if German women continue to be assaulted by Muslim immigrants?  The attacks are occurring in other European countries as well (Sweden and Switzerland to name a few) so even if the German media keeps hush, other European news sites will be covering the situation.

The new year is barely into its second full week and things are continuing to emerge that promise to make 2016 a very interesting year.