Saturday, 9 January 2016

Pegida and police clash at migrant protest in Cologne

                          

Riot police have used water cannon to disperse anti-migrant protesters in the German city of Cologne.

Right-wing groups, headed by the anti-Islam Pegida movement, gathered after reports emerged of a wave of sexual assaults on women on New Year's Eve.
Violence flared after a rally which heard condemnation of Chancellor Angela Merkel's migrant policy.
Mrs Merkel has proposed changes to make it easier to deport asylum-seekers who commit crimes.
Hundreds of police were deployed in Cologne to tackle demonstrators, who threw firecrackers and bottles. Several arrests were made.
Pro-migrant activists held a simultaneous counter-demonstration. Earlier, hundreds of women's right activists rallied in the city.
                                            
The New Year's Eve attacks, some of which were carried out by men of North African and Arab appearance, have led to criticism of Mrs Merkel's policies.
The police's handling of the events has also been sharply criticised.
Victims described chaos as dozens of sexual assaults and robberies were carried out with little apparent response from the authorities around Cologne station.
                                 
Mrs Merkel, speaking after a meeting of her Christian Democrat party leadership in Mainz, proposed tightening the law on denying the right of asylum for those who have committed crimes.
Under the new plans, those on probation could be deported too.

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