An angry German politician has bused dozens of refugees to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office in Berlin. District administrator Peter Dreier arranged
An angry German politician has bused dozens of refugees to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office in Berlin.
District administrator Peter Dreier arranged the seven-hour journey from Bavaria to show that the region could no longer cope with the refugee influx.
Dreier had warned last year that his district of Landshut had no more space for asylum seekers.
“I am always in favour of giving these people somewhere dignified to live,” he said. “Not in temporary shelters or gymnasiums for months, or anything like that. We just can’t provide proper accommodation for so many people fast enough, which is why we have to make a statement.”
Many people refused to get off the bus. It eventually left for overnight accommodation.
“Using people who are in are need of shelter and protection for a demonstration is in poor taste,” explained politician Katarina Barry, SPD’s general secretary.
Bavaria is the main entry point for people looking for asylum protection in Germany. The region’s frustration is strong, particularly with Merkel’s conservative allies, the Christian Social Union, which has called for a cap on migrant numbers.