Christian, Muslim Refugees Separate Housing In Germany: Religion Segregation At Camps Encouraged By Police Union Leader

Amid backlash over Germany’s policy to accept a large number of refugees and clashes erupting among them at refugee camps, the deputy head of the police trade union has said the country should separate those seeking asylum by religion. In particular, Christian and Muslim refugees should not be sharing any housing, said Jörg Radek according to Christian Today, which reported violent fights between members of the two religious groups.

“The police have reached their absolute breaking point,” Radek told a German newspaper, the Telegraph reported. “Our officials are increasingly being called to confrontations in refugee homes. When there are 4,000 people in a home, which only actually has places for 750, this confinement then leads to aggression where even a tiny thing like the corridor to the toilet can lead to violence.”

Germany is expected to get about 800,000 asylum applications this year. About 60 refugees were involved in a Sunday dispute that resulted in a fight while later in the day a fight involving hundreds of refugees also was reported. In addition, a fight was reported last Thursday involving about 200 refugees.

German authorities have not been segregating refugees officially based on ethnic or religious backgrounds. In some German states, however, refugees of similar ethnicities are frequently housed together, the Independent reported. Europe has been flooded with refugees from Syria, many looking to escape the conflict in their home country caused by civil war and complicated by the Islamic State group, commonly known as ISIS.

Some German politicians have criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the country’s open-door refugee stance. German President Joachim Gauck has recently said the country could not keep its open-door policy forever, the Express reported.

"Our absorption capacity is limited, even if it has not yet been decided where these limits lie," Gauck said according to the Express.

Aid organizations have said tension among refugees is high based on social, cultural and religious grounds, and Christian refugees are regularly threatened and discriminated against in some areas, Deutsche Welle reported.