German MP opens home to two migrants

Written by Linda Digby 06 Aug 2015
German MP opens home to two migrants

German conservative MP, Martin Patzelt, has taken two Eritrean refugees into his home and is helping the young men find jobs locally. Mr Patzelt lives near Frankfurt in eastern Germany. The Eritreans have been staying with him for a month. Such initiatives help to ‘get rid of the polarisation and hostility’ towards migrants, he told German TV. Eritrea has an authoritarian government which forces citizens into military service - often for many years and in deplorable conditions. Generally Eritreans and Syrians are granted refugee status when they reach Germany, allowing them to stay there. However Germany is gripped by an intense debate over migrants. Numbers have soared this year due to boatloads crossing the Mediterranean. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Patzelt said many admired his commitment, but his motivation was political, not religious; hostility towards the influx of refugees could only be solved by engaging ordinary German citizens.

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