The German Refugee Protection and Racism: Focused on Sexual Assaults and Thefts in Cologne on New Year’s Eve

Abstract

The refugee crisis that dominated the news in 2015 consisted of a sharp rise in the number of refugees coming to Germany. The German government and civil society has been confronted with the challenge of encouraging social integration based on the liberal democratic principles. However, as liberal racism has an influence on the principles, German immigration and refugee policy may be prone to leading to the exclusion of immigrants rather than to their integration. This remarkable example was sexual assaults and thefts in Cologne on New Year’s Eve. This article analyzed the German media response to and parliamentary debate about Cologne.