Germany gears up to receive 40,000 migrants over weekend
- 9 years ago
Germany is preparing to receive a large influx of migrants over the next few days, officials say, with as much as 40,000 expected in Munich over the weekend.
Germany is a top destination for Syrian and other refugees and migrants seeking shelter, with tens of thousands making their way from Turkey, through Greece, Macedonia and Hungary to Austria then Germany.
Munich mayor Dieter Reiter urged other German regions to do more to accommodate the influx of migrants, calling the failure to do so "scandalous," according to the BBC.
Despite the popular backing, the government's welcoming attitude to refugees has sparked discord within Merkel's conservative camp of CDU Christian Democrats and their CSU Bavarian allies.
CSU vice president Hans-Peter Friedrich called Merkel's decision "an unprecedented political error" that would have "catastrophic consequences", according to a report published Friday in the Passauer Neue Presse daily.
Germany is a top destination for Syrian and other refugees and migrants seeking shelter, with tens of thousands making their way from Turkey, through Greece, Macedonia and Hungary to Austria then Germany.
Munich mayor Dieter Reiter urged other German regions to do more to accommodate the influx of migrants, calling the failure to do so "scandalous," according to the BBC.
Despite the popular backing, the government's welcoming attitude to refugees has sparked discord within Merkel's conservative camp of CDU Christian Democrats and their CSU Bavarian allies.
CSU vice president Hans-Peter Friedrich called Merkel's decision "an unprecedented political error" that would have "catastrophic consequences", according to a report published Friday in the Passauer Neue Presse daily.