Monday, January 4, 2016

Islamic invasion of Europe update (January 4, 2016)





Denmark introduces controls at German border
Copenhagen (AFP) - Denmark announced the immediate introduction of random controls at the German border, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Monday, on the same day neighbouring Sweden introduced controls on its frontier with Denmark to stem the flow of refugees.

"When other Nordic countries seal their borders it can have major consequences for Denmark," Rasmussen said, referring to the Swedish measure.

"It can lead to more asylum seekers," he told reporters in Copenhagen.

Rasmussen has sought to limit arrivals of migrants on Danish territory, and he had hinted that he would react strongly to the systematic checks announced by Sweden.

The Danish controls will initially be in place for 10 days, after which they may be extended.

German governor says he regrets Denmark's decision
The governor of Germany's northernmost state says he regrets Denmark's decision to tighten border controls but is welcoming the fact that it will only be carrying out spot checks.

Schleswig-Holstein governor Torsten Albig said Monday that "the checks could encroach on our good cohabitation in the German-Danish border region and in particular burden commuters." His state is the only one in Germany that has a land border with Denmark and one of two from which ferries set off for Scandinavia.

Albig said the state has appealed to Denmark to apply the measure as briefly as possible to minimize damage.

Albig acknowledged in an interview with German daily Die Welt last month that more than 60,000 migrants likely had been allowed to travel unregistered through the state to Scandinavia during 2015.

EU's passport-free travel is in danger
Germany says Europe's system of passport-free travel across borders is in danger following Denmark's decision to step up controls on its southern frontier with Germany.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer says freedom of movement across most European Union countries is "perhaps one of the greatest achievements in the last 60 years."

Schaefer told reporters in Berlin on Monday that the Schengen system "is very important, but it's in danger due to the flow of refugees."

He echoed other German officials' calls for a pan-European agreement on how to control the movement of migrants across borders.

Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth said of the Danish movement that "it will have to be watched very carefully whether and how this affects migration northward from Germany."




Czech President blames Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood for Europe's Muslim migrant crisis
Czech President Milos Zeman, who is known for his anti-Islam rhetoric, says Egyptian fundamentalist group Muslim Brotherhood is likely to blame for the Europe migrant crisis.

Egypt's government has branded the group a terrorist organization and outlawed it in 2013 after the military overthrew elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

Zeman previously called the influx of the migrants who are fleeing war and poverty an "organized invasion" and in a Monday interview with Czech public radio he said: "I think that this invasion is organized by the Muslim Brotherhood."

Zeman says information he has received from the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Morocco that Muslim Brotherhood is an umbrella organization for Islamic militants and that it wants to rule "the entire world" contributed to his conclusion.

Hungary deploys dozens of police officers to Macedonia to help manage the flow of Muslim migrants
Hungary's national police say dozens of officers have been sent to Macedonia to help manage the flow of migrants on its border with Greece.

The 31 officers — who left Monday from Budapest, the Hungarian capital, in several vans and other police vehicles equipped with heat sensors — will be deployed until Feb. 4 to assist their Macedonian colleagues.

Over 391,000 migrants reached Hungary in 2015, nearly all passing through on their way to Germany and other destinations further west. The flow of people practically stopped after Hungary built fences on its borders with Serbia and Croatia by mid-October, forcing migrants to take longer routes to the richer EU countries.









Sudanese Muslim who walked into the UK via the Channel Tunnel from France granted asylum
A Sudanese man who was arrested after walking through the 31-mile (50-kilometer) Channel Tunnel from France to England has been granted asylum in Britain.

Police detained Abdul Rahman Haroun in August near the British end of the tunnel at Folkestone in southeastern England. He was charged with "obstructing a railway carriage or engine" under the Malicious Damage Act.

Haroun's caseworker, Sadie Castle of law firm Kent Defence, said the government granted him asylum on Dec. 24. At a court hearing Monday, a lawyer said prosecutors were considering whether to drop the charge in light of the decision.

Forty-year-old Haroun was released on bail until a Jan. 18 court hearing.

Thousands of migrants have tried to reach Britain on trucks and freight trains through the undersea tunnel in the past year.