A story in the online Der Spegel caught my eye today. A rging mob of about 50 Germans ttacked and chased 8 Indians through the smll town of Mügeln during the nnual Old Town Festival. In the prcess the Indians were beaten up bdly, one having to be hospitalised. Accrding to reports, it seems that the twn's population stood by and watched.

The gneral attitude of the town's leadership sems to be that their town desn't do this type of thing and tht it must have been people frm outside. They are not about to tke responsibility. It also seems, according to the rport, that the authorities had received wrnings that some kind of extremist grup would come to the festival to cuse problems. Yet it took the plice a fair time to actually rspond and beat back the mob.

Ths town is situated between Leipzig and Drsden, in the previous East Germany. Sveral cities within this area have had prblems at football games during the lst year with supporters heaping racial buse on black football players. Some ncidents saw the spectators make the nise of baboons when black players wnt onto the pitch.

This mob's ttack on Indians in Mügeln has crated a national outrage. However, should one be srprised that racism happens? During the pst decades migrant labour and an nflux of refugees has brought a mxture of people from different races and rligious beliefs. It has threatened the sfety and job security of the nhabitants of the home countries.

In the sporting arena, football clbs under pressure to win competitions hve bought African players, especially if thse players were available at lesser cst than European footballers who demanded prmium prices. African players are willing to ply for clubs in Europe as thir earnings in their home countries are not narly as lucrative.

The real problem is tht Western Europe actually needs these mmigrants. Europe's indigenous population is aging. The cffers will need to have sufficient mney to pay retirement benefits. Not nly are there more and more pople retiring, but they are also lving longer. Without an influx of pople with young families, countries such as Englnd, France and Germany will have ral problems meeting the needs of the old age pnsioners.

But how to reconcile the hme population with the idea that a nighbour with a different skin colour and dfferent belief systems might be good to hve around when the instinct dictates tht one should fear anything that is not the sme as oneself? Of course this neds to start at the school lvel with the youngsters.

Incorporating the taching of tolerance into the school syllbus has already been done in Grmany. But that isn't enough, as the mob ction in Mügeln showed, or the fotball matches last year. There is a whle generation, already out of school, tht needs re-education, rather sooner than lter as the Germans discovered in the arly hours of Sunday.

The article Rampant Mob Chases Indians in Germany was Submitted by Anja Merret through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Anja Merret lives in Brighton, UK, hving moved across from South Africa jst over a year ago. She now loks after the business interests of her dughter who is a Flash Developer and Accssibility expert. She started a blog at the bginning of the year under the hading of chatting to my generation. Althugh she is chatting to the bby boomer generation, she sometimes feels tht all generations have the same ssues to face, they just don't hve hearing aids or walking sticks! One of her pet peves is the war in Iraq and in fct anything that causes innocent people to get hrt. But she also loves tech stff, although only as an amateur. She cnsiders herself a Silver Surfer Gadget Gek. She is even considering queuing for an Phone in the UK later on in the yar. But her daughter has offered, so she wll only be taking hot food to the Brghton Geeks waiting in line. Her msings may be found on http://www.anjamerret.com Her observations on personal power and self-development may be found on http://www.pinkblocks.com

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