SESSION 6: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 3RD NOVEMBER

SESSION 6: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 3RD NOVEMBER

MERKEL-MULTICULTURALISM 'FAILED' IN GERMANY

Text taken and adapted from:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

The text:

The German chancellor Angela Merkel has told politicians that attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed". She was speaking at a conference attended by her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), on Saturday. Her speech was a shocking assessment of multiculturalism in Germany. She said: "At the beginning of the 60s, our country asked foreign workers to come to Germany and now they live in our country... We fooled ourselves a while and said: 'They won't stay… at some time they will go’” She went on: “But this isn't reality… And of course, the approach to build a multicultural society and to live side-by-side [happily]... has failed, utterly failed." Ms Merkel also said that immigrants to Germany had to learn German.

The chancellor’s comments come after a series of anti-immigrant feeling from other German politicians. Perhaps the strongest comment came from Horst Seehofer, the leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the CSU. He said the concept of multiculturalism was “dead”. Another politician, Stephan Kramer criticized the CSU leader, saying his ideas were "not only petty but outright irresponsible”. He attacked the current debates on immigration for being “hysterical”. A recent study into immigration showed that over 30 per cent of Germans had negative feelings towards immigrants. The report, from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, revealed that 34.3 per cent of those surveyed believed Germany's 16 million immigrants migrated to the country just for the social benefits.

Merkel-Multiculturalism "Failed" in Germany - 17th October, 2010
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com