German Chancellor Angela Merkel: Pig’s Head With ‘Insulting’ Message Left Outside Her Office
A pig’s head was found outside German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s constituency office bearing an “insulting” message addressed to her. A patrol car noticed the pig’s head on the steps of the Christian Democratic Union’s regional office in the northeastern town of Stralsund early Saturday morning at 5:40 a.m., according to police.
Merkel began her political career in 1990 when she was first elected to parliament. Some sources believe choosing the entrance to Merkel’s office to leave the pig’s head with the message is symbolic as it’s where her career in politics began, and many are not happy with Merkel right now for the way she has welcomed thousands of refugees.
Pig’s head found outside German chancellor Angela Merkel’s office https://t.co/0GsyZoOA3O
— The Guardian (@guardian) May 15, 2016
Authorities wouldn’t say what the exact message to Merkel said, except that an “insulting inscription” was left on the remains of the pig’s head. Police are investigating the incident, looking for the person or people responsible for leaving the animal remains, which violates the carcass disposal law.
This incident involving Angela Merkel isn’t the first one that has taken place in Germany over the last few months. Pork has been used by anti-immigration activists to protest the influx of refugees, many of whom are from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and are fleeing from war and persecution. Pork is forbidden for Muslims, which is likely why it’s being used in protests.
In February, police found a dead pig on land designated for the construction of a mosque in Leipzig. In March, police found pig hooves, bones, and ears at the entrance of a mosque in Gelsenkirchen. On April 19, several people, who haven’t been identified, threw two split pig heads at a cafe in Lübeck where many refugees are known to frequent, RT reports.
On Saturday, according to the German Federal Criminal Police Office, vandals had set fire to at least 45 refugee centers across Germany this year alone.
While Angela Merkel is a powerhouse in European politics, her popularity has waned over the past few months, as mentioned earlier, due to her liberal policy in welcoming refugees. Last week, INSA published a poll that showed nearly half of all Germans want Merkel out in the next election, which is coming up next year. As a matter of fact, the Independent reports the popularity of the two main parties in Germany is at an all-time low which was last seen at the end of World War II.
Two thirds of German voters want to ditch Angela Merkel in the wake of open-door immigration policy https://t.co/tWqaChvSoe
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 11, 2016
Merkel has been the Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and the leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000. Members of Merkel’s own party (the CDU) and the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, have spoken out against her migrant policies, according to Ukraine Today.
Born in Hamburg in 1954, Merkel herself is the child of Germans who had been refugees from the east, which might be the reason she’s been so welcoming of refugees in the present. Michael White of the Guardian writes there doesn’t seem to be a successor to Merkel at this time, and according to Der Spiegel, Merkel will run for a fourth term in 2017.
In February, actor George Clooney was heavily criticized for meeting with Merkel and stating he believes the United States should take in over 10,000 refugees as Germany has done. Clooney’s wife, Amal, who is a human-rights lawyer, also attended the meeting to discuss the refugee crisis with Merkel.
“I absolutely agree with her,” Clooney told reporters that day, in regards to Merkel’s migrant policies.
Do you believe leaving the pig’s head at Angela Merkel’s office is going too far?
[Photo by Markus Schreiber/AP]
