German Integration, Identity, and Migration
When looking at the response to the 2015 Syrian Refugee crisis, the response from Germany was noble politically, but fell short when looking at the individual experiences faced by refugees. Germany welcomed in 1.2 million refugees in 2015 and 2016, making it the primary destination for asylum seekers in Europe. This welcoming of refugees was a very good thing for those in need, and politicians in Germany did a good thing by allowing this. However, the reality of bringing in such a large influx of foreigners led to contention with German citizens. Many refugees felt that they must be assimilated into German culture to be accepted. For example, Muslim women who continued to wear traditional veils in Germany were seen by some Germans as not accepting their new home. Refugees often felt that speaking to Germans was a one way conversation, and some Germans felt that they did not have things to learn from refugees. So politically Germany did a good job handling the 2015 crisis, but this political response did not solve social tensions between Germans and Syrian refugees, and ultimately their social acceptance of refugees fell short.
When comparing the Syrian refugee crisis to to current Ukrainian crisis, structural differences can be found, but racial and cultural biases are undeniably present in Germany’s response. The number of Ukrainian refugees in Germany currently is almost equal to the numbers in 2015 and 2016, yet there is far less political outcry. It can not be ignored that there is a larger racial and cultural difference between Syrians and Germans than Ukrainians and Germans. This different treatment shows the bias present in some Germans, and proves that Germany still has work to do when it comes to accepting people of diverse backgrounds.
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