Merkel says German multicultural society has failed

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel: "lmmigrants should learn to speak German"
Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed", Chancellor Angela Merkel says.

She said the so-called "multikulti" concept - where people would "live side-by-side" happily - did not work, and immigrants needed to do more to integrate - including learning German.

The comments come amid rising anti-immigration feeling in Germany.

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A recent survey suggested more than 30% of people believed the country was "overrun by foreigners".

The study - by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation think-tank - also showed that roughly the same number thought that some 16 million of Germany's immigrants or people with foreign origins had come to the country for its social benefits.

Foreign workers
Mrs Merkel told a gathering of younger members of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party on Saturday that at "the beginning of the 60s our country called the foreign workers to come to Germany and now they live in our country."

She added: "We kidded ourselves a while, we said: 'They won't stay, sometime they will be gone', but this isn't reality."

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Analysis

Stephen Evans
BBC News, Berlin
Angela Merkel took pains to say immigrants are welcome.

The words "utterly failed" are very strong, but there are also nuanced messages about the usefulness of immigrants in a country that needs skilled labour.

She is pitching it very carefully, with important elections coming up in the spring.

The tone is very important.

The chancellor is basically saying that Germany needs immigrants but immigrants need to do something to get into the society.

Germany's charged immigration debate
"And of course, the approach [to build] a multicultural [society] and to live side-by-side and to enjoy each other... has failed, utterly failed."

In her speech in Potsdam, however, the chancellor made clear that immigrants were welcome in Germany.

She specifically referred to recent comments by German President Christian Wulff who said that Islam was "part of Germany", like Christianity and Judaism.

Mrs Merkel said: "We should not be a country either which gives the impression to the outside world that those who don't speak German immediately or who were not raised speaking German are not welcome here."

Mounting debate
There has been intense debate about multiculturalism in Germany in recent months.

Correspondents say Mrs Merkel faces pressure from within her CDU and its allies to take a tougher stance and require immigrants to do more to adapt to German society.

Earlier this week, Horst Seehofer, the leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the CSU, said it was "obvious that immigrants from different cultures like Turkey and Arab countries, all in all, find it harder" to integrate.

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Your Say: Does multiculturalism work?
"'Multikulti' is dead," Mr Seehofer said.

Earlier this month the chancellor held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which the two leaders pledged to do more to improve the often poor integration record of Germany's estimated 2.5 million-strong Turkish community.

The debate first heated up in August when Thilo Sarrazin, a senior official at Germany's central bank, said that "no immigrant group other than Muslims is so strongly connected with claims on the welfare state and crime". Mr Sarrazin has since resigned.

Such recent strong anti-immigration feelings from mainstream politicians come amid an anger in Germany about high unemployment, even if the economy is growing faster than those of its rivals, our correspondent says.

He adds that there also seems to be a new strident tone in the country, perhaps leading to less reticence about no-go-areas of the past.

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[godkingRoss]

MULTICULTURALISM HAS DEFINITELY FAILED!

also, I find Angela Merkel is strangely attractive :/

[OpenOmniProductions]

@godkingRoss ROFL! @ Merkel comment. Also, she can be strangely charming at times!

[bnbalenda]

There is nothing offensive about what she said

[foxrat123]

Multiculturalism was never a good idea.

[FarimX]

Multiculturalism = stealth genocyde of european nations.

[mikeymensa]

Read a new ebook, 'God Stopping A Nuclear War' , 99 cents, explains why multicutural programs fail.

It predicted the UK riots and why. The flashmobs in the USA.

She is right. Muslims as they are, are not assilmulating properly, but the real reasons are not told. It is more biological than you can believe. And about mechanical abilities, and right brain usage.

Read the book and you'll understand not only these problems, but Wall Street corruption in America.

[VStauBsaugeRV]

so bbc get someone who could translate how its meant not how its written down in the dictionary ;)

[VStauBsaugeRV]

and she dont wants to kick them out of germany she said we didn't started early cause we thought they would go by themsselves...

but they didnt cause they felt good in germany.. maybe better then at home ....

they need to get integrated not kicked out... and to be honest ... if every german would be so cold and a rassist why would they stay here? because they want to get murdered? no, they stay because they live better here then in their homecoutry.

[VStauBsaugeRV]

she said its very important to finally integrate the 9% foreigners into the german society... so everything she wanted to say was you cant live in a country without knowing anything about it... not even the language

so they need to get teached and thats what she wants to do!

[VStauBsaugeRV]

she never said that germans cant live side by side with turks or other people...

the only thing she told was that it wont work if they cant communicate because of language differences and she also said that all foreigners BELONG to germany and they are a part of it! because of the translation you misunderstood the half...

[montezoma]

@dantastic15

In 2024 a major economic depression will happen worldwide, and far right wing politicians will rise to power and blame it on muslims, poving the way for a muslim holocaust in europe.

Man i think i can write a script about it yay