Germany's new iron curtain
A particularly severe winter, with temperatures as low as -22° C, has had a heavy toll among refugees attempting to cross Germany's eastern border with Poland and the Czech Republic.
On December 7, a 35-year-old woman from Sri Lanka was found frozen to death on the German-Czech border. She had presumably been abandoned by professional refugee smugglers.
On New Year's Eve, 16 illegal immigrants narrowly escaped freezing to death after being found on an industrial estate in Wildau, south of Berlin. The immigrants, from Iraq and Bangladesh, were dressed only in light clothes, and some were barefoot.
Most of the group were boys between the ages of 12 and 16. Doctors reported that several were suffering from severe frostbite and that amputations might have to be performed.
The group had previously been forced to cross the freezing waters of the Neisse river by the smugglers who brought them to the border.
A similar case was reported on January 9, when a Syrian family of five were found half frozen on the Berlin-Nuremberg motorway.
At least 24 people have died attempting to cross Germany's eastern border in the last nine months, the majority of deaths occurring during attempts to cross the Oder and Neisse rivers. It is assumed that the real figure is higher, in view of the likelihood of drownings passing unnoticed.
Germany's eastern border is already Europe's most guarded national boundary, an iron curtain for refugees. Since 1991 the number of federal border guards stationed along the border has increased from 800 to 4000, with a recent decision taken for a further increase to 6200. They are accompanied by an almost equal number of police and customs officers.
Around 20,000 immigrants seeking illegal entry into Germany are arrested each year.
[From Berlin Anti-racist Information Network.]