Will Christmas market attacks further divide Germans over immigration? , Crime

German authorities say psychiatrist accused of attack in Magdeburg is Islamophobic.

They have charged the Saudi psychiatrist – who has lived in Germany for 18 years – with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

But the anti-immigrant, far-right Alternative for Germany party has taken a lead in opinion polls ahead of February’s snap election. And just days after the fall of the al-Assad regime, the Berlin government blocked asylum applications from Syrians.

Will Friday’s massacre, combined with the migrant debate in Europe, further divide Germany?

Could the police have done more to prevent the attack?

Presenter: nivea barker

Guest:

Ulrich Bruckner – Professor of Political Science at Stanford University in Berlin

Rachel Rizzo – Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center

Mohammed Al Kashef – political advisor and consultant at the Migrant Solidarity Network