IMMIGRATION | 16.10.2010

German multiculturalism has 'utterly failed'

Merkel said not enough was done to support multiculturalism

In a speech to supporters, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that multiculturalism in Germany has not met with success. She stressed that immigrants must learn to speak German and integrate into German society.

Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed," according to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"This approach has failed, utterly failed," said Merkel, head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), in a speech to the party's young people's association in Potsdam on Saturday. She added that not enough was done in the past to support the movement. "The failures of the last 30 or 40 years cannot be resolved so quickly," she said.

The comments followed a similar speech from Christian Social Union (CSU) chief Horst Seehofer, sister party to the CDU, who on Friday evening declared his party's stance against multiculturalism. "Multiculturalism is dead," he said, to great applause.

Seehofer's comments were criticized by Stephan Kramer, the general secretary of the Central Council of Jews. In an interview with the Rheinpfalz am Sonntag newspaper, he said the idea that immigrants from Turkey and other Arabic countries found it harder to integrate was "not just tactless, but downright irresponsible."

German-speaking migrants still welcome

Seehofer's comments were met with great support

In her speech, Merkel stressed that immigrants must learn to speak German in order to be able to compete on the job market. "Anyone who does not immediately speak German is not welcome," she said. "Those who want to take part [in our society] must not only obey our laws, they must also master our language."

Merkel, however, underscored the continued importance of immigration to Germany and the job market, especially highly-skilled migrants, and not just migrants who would place a burden on the country's social system.

She pointed out that every year, 200,000 Germans retired and left the job market, and weren't replaced – which could lead to companies leaving Germany due to labor shortages.

Merkel said, however, that older German workers should not be overlooked in favor of immigrant laborers, adding that immigrants should not be considered "until we have done all we can to help our own people to become qualified and give them a chance."

Merkel said immigrants already living in Germany must do more to integrate into German society, recalling recent comments by President Christian Wulff. Two weeks ago, in a speech to mark 20 years of German unity, Wulff said Islam was now a part of Germany.

"[Islam] is a part of Germany – this is evident, and not just with soccer player [Mesut] Oezil," she said, referring to the Turkish-born member of Germany's national team.

Author: Martin Kuebler (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Andreas Illmer

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