End of Europe? Berlin, Brussels' shock tactic on migrants

[Disir]

Is this how "Europe" ends?
The Germans, founders and funders of the postwar union, shut their borders to refugees in a bid for political survival by the chancellor who let in a million migrants. And then -- why not? -- they decide to revive the Deutschmark while they're at it.
That is not the fantasy of diehard Eurosceptics but a real fear articulated at the highest levels in Berlin and Brussels.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, her ratings hit by crimes blamed on asylum seekers at New Year parties in Cologne, and EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker both said as much last week.
Juncker echoed Merkel in warning that the central economic achievements of the common market and the euro are at risk from incoherent, nationalistic reactions to migration and other crises. He renewed warnings that Europe is on its "last chance", even if he still hoped it was not "at the beginning of the end".
Merkel, facing trouble among her conservative supporters as much as from opponents, called Europe "vulnerable" and the fate of the euro "directly linked" to resolving the migration crisis -- highlighting the risk of at the very least serious economic turbulence if not a formal dismantling of EU institutions.
Some see that as mere scare tactics aimed at fellow Europeans by leaders with too much to lose from an EU collapse -- Greeks and Italians have been seen to be dragging their feet over controlling the bloc's Mediterranean frontier and eastern Europeans who benefit from German subsidies and manufacturing supply chain jobs have led hostility to demands that they help take in refugees.
End of Europe? Berlin, Brussels' shock tactic on migrants

Italy has been getting nailed with migrants from Libya for years. Merkel has to be one of the most daft leaders.

 

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Migrants break down Macedonia fence...

Europe's crisis worsens: Migrants face razor wire, tear gas
Feb 29,`16 -- Pressed against coils of razor wire and shouting "Help us!," refugees and migrants at Greece's northern border were pushed back by Macedonian police using tear gas and stun grenades, as authorities here raced to build more camps to shield the escalating number of stranded people from winter.

A top European Union official prepared to visit the region Tuesday to try and ease the crisis that produced more scenes of chaos: Syrian and Iraqi refugees and others forced their way through part of a Macedonian border fence, some clutching infants or struggling to free duffel bags caught in the razor-wire. They were met by Macedonian riot police. Volunteer doctors said at least 22 migrants, including 12 children, were treated for breathing difficulties and cuts. Authorities in Macedonia said one policeman was injured and that dozens of special forces officers were flown in by helicopter to help quell a refugee protest. "Tragically, there seems to be more willingness among European countries to coordinate blocking borders than to provide refugees and asylum-seekers with protection and basic services," said Giorgos Kosmopoulos, head of Amnesty International in Greece.

Some 7,000 migrants, mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, are crammed into a tiny camp at the Greek border village of Idomeni, and hundreds more are arriving daily. The Greek army completed more temporary shelters in northern Greece over the weekend, and at the government's request, local authorities in central Greece, opened indoor stadiums, conference centers, and hotels that have gone out of business to house migrants, while the Education Ministry called on school children to join the effort with donation drives. "Of course Greece over the next one or two months will do what it can to help these people. But it must be made clear that the burden of this crisis must be distributed in Europe," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in an interview with private Star television.

A man helps children to run away after Macedonian police fired tear gas at a group of the refugees and migrants who tried to push their way into Macedonia, breaking down a border gate near the northern Greek village of Idomeni on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. No arrests or injuries were reported. About 6,500 migrants are stuck on the Greek-Macedonian border at Idomeni, waiting to travel north, but Macedonia is only admitting a trickle​

The border bottleneck began ten days ago, when Austria and four ex-Yugoslav countries on the Balkan migrant route north into Western Europe cut border access for migrants to a trickle. Donald Tusk, the European Council President, begins of tour of those countries Tuesday, starting in Vienna, which has been strongly criticized by other EU nations for its caps on asylum-seekers, and ending Thursday in Athens. Tusk is aiming to prepare for a meeting of leaders from the EU and Turkey on March 7, where the key topic will be trying to halt the flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece.

The number of migrants stranded in Greece topped 25,000 Sunday, according to government estimates. Thousands have been sleeping outside in parks and fields and even along highways, as refugee shelters quickly overflowed. "Very many people were forced to sleep in the open, without tents, wrapped in blankets," said 45-year-old Syrian refugee Nidal Jojack, who has been camped out with her family at Idomeni for three days. "It was very cold. The borders are effectively closed, it's a huge problem. To get food, we have to wait in very long queues." Jojack said she hopes to reach Germany, where her 18-year-old son has already arrived.

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Migrants break down Macedonia fence on Greek border
Mon, 29 Feb 2016 - Macedonian police fire tear gas at a crowd of migrants who destroyed a barbed-wire fence on the Greek border using a makeshift battering ram.

TV footage showed migrants pushing against the fence at Idomeni in Greece, ripping away barbed wire. A section of fence was smashed open with a metal signpost. It is unclear if any migrants crossed the border. About 7,000 people are stuck on the Greek side of the border, as Macedonia is letting very few in. Many have been camping in squalid conditions for a week or more, with little food or medical help. Most of those trying to reach northern Europe are Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

The chaos on Monday erupted as hundreds of people pushed their way past Greek police, shouting "Open the border!", to reach the gate used to let trains through at the border crossing. Some threw stones at Macedonian riot police. Macedonia and some other Balkan countries have erected fences in an attempt to reduce the influx of migrants, after more than a million reached Germany last year.

Greece is angry with Austria further north for having imposed a cap on migrant numbers. The crisis has left Greece shouldering much of the burden of housing migrants arriving in the EU from Turkey. Many are refugees fleeing war in the Middle East, while others are escaping human rights abuses in Afghanistan, Eritrea and other conflict zones.

In other developments on Monday:

 

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European borders tighten in wake of Belgian attack...

Border Controls Tightened as Europe Comes to Grips With Yet Another Mass Casualty Attack
March 22, 2016 | – Tuesday’s deadly bombings in Brussels prompted governments across the continent to hold emergency consultations and raise security at airports, train stations and borders, as Europeans grappled with fears that the threat of terrorism may become a part of their daily lives.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to convene the German cabinet early Wednesday morning to discuss “in depth” a response plan to the attacks at Brussels’ Zaventem airport and a crowded metro station near key European Union institutions. At least 34 people were killed and more than 180 injured, with fears the death toll will rise further. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks. “Our strength is in our unity, and that is how our free societies will prove themselves stronger than terrorism,” Merkel declared.

Police patrol the E.U. Commission building, after a bomb exploded at a nearby subway station in Brussels, Belgium​

Germany’s federal police reported they have increased security on the borders with Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, as well as at airports and railway stations. In France, already on a heightened state of alert after the two terror attacks last year, President François Hollande held an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Manuel Valls and the interior and defense ministers. France will now deploy an additional 1,600 police to guard borders, transport facilities and other sensitive sites. Security measures such as identity checks will be introduced at entry to train stations and airports, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a televised statement.

It was reported earlier that the border between France and Belgium had been closed altogether, although Cazeneuve said that was not the case. Belgium is nestled between the Netherlands, German, France and Luxembourg, and in the heart of the Schengen area – the 26 European countries that have scrapped visas and passport controls at their common borders. Some 3.5 million people cross borders within the zone every day, according to E.U. estimates, raising immense security challenges in an era of stepped-up terror threats.

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'Empower Law Enforcement to Patrol and Secure Muslim Neighborhoods Before They Become Radicalized'
March 22, 2016 | In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said it is necessary to stop the flow of refugees from countries with a major Islamic State or al Qaeda presence, and law enforcement in the United States must be empowered "to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized."

"Today radical Islamic terrorists targeted the men and women of Brussels as they went to work on a spring morning," said Senator Cruz in a March 22 post on Facebook. "In a series of co-ordinated attacks they murdered and maimed dozens of innocent commuters at subway stations and travelers at the airport. For the terrorists, the identities of the victims were irrelevant. They -- we -- are all part of an intolerable culture that they have vowed to destroy." "For years, the west has tried to deny this enemy exists out of a combination of political correctness and fear," he said. "We can no longer afford either. Our European allies are now seeing what comes of a toxic mix of migrants who have been infiltrated by terrorists and isolated, radical Muslim neighborhoods. We will do what we can to help them fight this scourge, and redouble our efforts to make sure it does not happen here." "We need to immediately halt the flow of refugees from countries with a significant al Qaida or ISIS presence," said Sen. Cruz. "We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized."

He continued, "We need to secure the southern border to prevent terrorist infiltration. And we need to execute a coherent campaign to utterly destroy ISIS." "The days of the United States voluntarily surrendering to the enemy to show how progressive and enlightened we can be are at an end," he said. "Our country is at stake."

To date, numerous media and Belgian officials report that bombs were exploded at the Brussels airport and at one of the city's metro stations. Thirty-four people reportedly are dead, and the radical jihadists, the Islamic State, have claimed responsibility for the attacks. Senator Cruz is a contender for the GOP presidential nomination.

Cruz: 'Empower Law Enforcement to Patrol and Secure Muslim Neighborhoods Before They Become Radicalized'

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US Should Suspend Refugee Resettlement Program
March 22, 2016 | Expressing her sympathy and support for the victims of Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Brussels, Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) called for a “suspension of our refugee resettlement program until glaring security gaps can be fully addressed.

“While much is still unknown about today’s attack in Brussels, it has all the markings of radical Islamic terrorism and should be treated accordingly,” Black said in a statement to CNSNews.com. “[My husband] Dave and I join the many who are searching for answers today and praying for the victims of this heinous attack. “This tragedy is a sobering reminder of our responsibility here in the United States to keep terrorism from reaching our shores. I continue to believe this requires a full-scale assault on ISIS and a suspension of our refugee resettlement program until glaring security gaps can be fully addressed.” "My heart goes out to all those who were killed and injured in this morning’s horrific terrorist attacks in Brussels,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said in a statement to CNSNews.com. “An attack like this is an attack on all of western civilization, a truth highlighted by the fact that three missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were injured in the blasts. My prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone touched by this tragedy."

Eiffel Tower in Paris lit up in the colors of the Belgian flag after Islamic State terrorists reportedly bombed the airport and subway in Brussels.​

The Mormon Church identified three American missionaries who were “seriously injured” in the attack: 66-year-old Richard Norby, 20-year-old Joseph Empey and 19-year-old Mason Wells, all of Utah. “The missionaries were taking Sister Fanny Rachel Clain (20) of Montélimar, France, to the airport. Sister Clain had been serving in that mission while awaiting a permanent visa for the United States.” Clain was also hospitalized with “minor injuries”. Other Republican members of Congress warned that the nation must remain “vigilant” because “the U.S. and our allies are at war with radical Islam.” “My prayers are with our allies in ‪Brussels following the horrific terrorist attacks that took place,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC). “The U.S. stands united with our allies in Brussels today and mourns the loss of innocent life.

"This is a tragic reminder that the U.S. and our allies are at war with radical Islam and that we must remain vigilant against potential threats. It's also a reminder of the importance of preserving and strengthening our bilateral relationships with our European allies,” Meadows added. "My heart breaks for the victims and their families in Brussels,” echoed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). “We stand united with Brussels and the rest of the world in defeating these senseless acts of terror. “This tragedy resonates with the American public and it’s why national security is the top issue in this presidential cycle,” Blackburn continued. “People are very concerned with what is happening especially with the [terror] cells that are here in the U.S. “I think the appropriate thing for us to do is to exercise vigilance," she added. "President Obama should come home [from Cuba] and be the commander in chief as we address this issue.”

Rep. Black: US Should Suspend Refugee Resettlement Program