A security officer stands by at the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market on the first day of its opening in Berlin, Germany, November 23, 2015. The security measures in public places were increased after recent deadly attacks in Paris.
France is at war with ISIS. The French president has been clear about that since the attacks in Paris.
Next door in Germany, the government has been more cautious. But the Germans might be moving in that direction.
Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to put 1,200 troops into the fight against the so-called Islamic State. First, she’ll have to get approval from the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament.
Meanwhile, the German public is wondering if they’re going to be the next target for ISIS-inspired terrorists.
The concern has surfaced here during the first week of Advent. For millions of Germans, this is the time to head to the local Christmas market. The outdoor markets spring up in cities and towns across the country for the holiday season. The one in the central Berlin district of Mitte is particularly lively. There’s an ice-skating rink and a giant Ferris wheel. Bundled up families come to shop for holiday crafts and to scarf down German sausages with cups of glüwein, or hot wine.
When asked about what happened in Paris, folks here say that terrorist violence is definitely on their minds.
“Everyone is a bit scared of the situation, because everybody is thinking about it. But everybody is here. We’re having fun,” says Dominic Pagel, who was wandering the market with his parents. As for Germany’s pledge to join France in the fight against ISIS, Pagel says it’s the only thing to do.
“France is one of our friends and so, we’ve got to help them,” he adds. “There’s no other choice.”
Pagel’s father, André chimes in, saying it’s important to stand together in Europe.
“We can’t abandon the French,” he says. “They wouldn’t do that to us. We are united against terrorism.”
Nearby, Jula is pouring sample shots of pear brandy and German single malt. She says the attacks in Paris last month didn’t feel far away at all here in Berlin.
“I think we shouldn’t be scared, because that’s what they want,” she says.
Looking around the market and noting the absence of a any visible show of security forces, Jula says she’s not surprised.
“There are some security guys, which is not normal. So, I mean, I think it would be weird if we had people with machine guns standing around. I think that would scare people even more. So, I’m actually quite happy we don’t.”
The attacks in Paris have intensified the debate here in Germany about the influx of refugees from the Middle East and elsewhere that have been entering the country by the tens-of-thousands. Some say it’s time to stop — or at least stem — the flow of new arrivals. But most people at the market seem to disagree with that sentiment.
Bärbel Sänger came to the market with her mother and a friend. “Yes, the threat of terrorist attacks is scary stuff,” she says. But she goes on to explain that there is no reason for Germans to turn their backs on the refugees.
“They are fleeing terror themselves. It’s wonderful that Germany is welcoming these people.”
The news media in Germany has been asking about security, especially at the open, crowded Christmas markets. Berlin police spokesman Stefan Redlich says the authorities are aware of the threat and they’re dealing with them.
“Of course, we are on patrol on Christmas markets and other events as well. Not on every market, all the time, every day,” Redlich says.
“Only in Berlin, we have almost 40 Christmas markets. What we do is we try to stop people from going to Syria from Germany and fight there. And what we also do is we look very closely at the people who we know here are radicalized and maybe looking for violence.”
The scope of the problem though is enormous. Hundreds of fighters are thought to have returned to Germany from the battlefields of Syria and Iraq. Redlich says it takes about 50 officers to track just one suspect 24-7.
That means keeping a close eye on hundreds of terrorist suspects is all but impossible.