In early August 2016, a phrase began circulating in Germany that would shape political and societal discussions for many years to come: "the divided society."
There were still many Germans who remained committed to welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees who had begun arriving the previous year, mainly from Syria. However, an increasing number were more skeptical of immigrants and foreigners, especially following the mass sexual assaults involving young men with immigrant backgrounds that took place in Cologne on New Year's Eve 2015–2016.
Under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel, the coalition government of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) sought to calm the polarized mood in Germany by introducing an integration act , a law designed to appeal to all sides through the guiding principle of "support and challenge" ("fördern und fordern").
Some thought it offered too many giveaways; others felt it imposed too many demands.Germany relies on Syrian workers amid return debatesTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
