Apart from a few short times I have been living in Germany my whole life. And all my life I thought, that I live in a country, that was free and democratic. But during the last couple of years things have changed.
And no - it is NOT because of the immigrants. But there is a correlation nonetheless. Since our Chancellor open our borders hundreds of thousand foreign people came to Germany. Some because of a war, some because they are persecuted - but most came because they want a better life. I can understand all of them because I want peace, freedom and a good life for me and my family.
So they came to a country that promised them all that: peace, freedom and a good life. Only to find out that there are no jobs for them, that they have to compete for charity with the poor that already lived here. And of course they are not happy about that. They demand that the promises made to them be fulfilled.
And the Germans? They were told that most of the immigrants are fleeing from war and the others were highly qualified and much needed to fill open job vacancies. Only to find out, that most new arrivals were not fleeing from war, but came here looking for a better life. And the qualifications were a lie, since most immigrants are illiterate.
What a farce. Countless lies were being told to ALL people. And the government is still lying to everybody.
It is clear, that something has to be done. But what can be done to appease angry immigrants and angry Germans alike? The government does what it has done all along - nothing. The talk a lot, acknowledge some probleme while ignoring others and do nothing. And any criticism is slurred as racial discrimination.
To point to the fact that most immigrants are not fleeing from war and persecution is racial discrimination.
To propose that criminal immigrants should be deported is racial discrimination .
To demand that the immigrants have to learn german is racial discrimination.
Even the suggestion that the immigrants submit themselves to the laws of this country is racial discrimination.
There is a new law, that claims all the above are hate speech and one can be prosecuted and even send to prison. Is that consistent with a free and democratic county? I think not.
Most of the people that criticize the situation in Germany don't think that the immigrants are responsible for this. They don't blame the immigrants. They criticize the way that the government deals with the situation. But it is so easy to assert that they xenophobic - even if they are not.
Yes, we do have xenophobic people in Germany. And yes, under the current situation they are coming out of their holes to mouth their hateful opinions. But that is not the majority. Not yet.
But if free speech is classified as hate speech, things could change. Germany could turn from a country in which "we live well and happily" (as the Chancellor Angela Merkel put it) to a country where fear and hate predominate.