I wish I knew.
There is a lot of discussion, that’s for sure. The consumers of tabloids are lapping up idiotic articles on how we are importing terrorists, and the PEGIDA is still going strong. I get chills when I hear of the numbers they’ve been able to get on the streets, even though the counter-demonstrations continue to be extremely strong.
I pay close attention to the streets, and I’m happy to see phrases like “refugees welcome” take over the walls and streetlights. I live a 10 minute-walk from a refugee centre, so it’s not like I’m in an area that has not been affected. I am, however, far away from Dresden. @ragingloli is probably not that lucky.
It’s true, @JLeslie, that there is quite a lot of support for the refugees. Many donations and spontaneous volunteers. Again, that’s true for my area. There have not been any attacks on the local centres, that I know of.
The refugees I’ve met are extremely outgoing. I see them while walking the dogs, and many approach me. Some just want to chat, they tell me where they’re from and how they like Germany so far. Many want to have their children pet the dogs, and even more just say hello and smile. Some speak no English at all, others are quite fluent. Some are well-dressed and seem happy, others look extremely poor. Rather often, I seem to see families with very bouncy kids and exhausted parents.
I know that the Syrian medical system was one of the best in the world, until the country collapsed. Syrian doctors are not allowed to work here, however, unless they pass certain tests. That takes time, and the language barrier needs to be taken into account as well. Germany is by no means an English-speaking country.