Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here’s an outstanding article from Spiegel. With the Hamburg summit now over, it highlights overshadowing by the violence on the streets outside, and Angela Merkel and the rest of the G-20 leaders managing to find mini-compromises on major issues. But it questions ‘Was it worth it’?
Source: G-20 Violence: Questions Remain after Hamburg Riots – SPIEGEL ONLINE
It reasons that despite the limited agreements on major issues, the Hamburg G20 was a major success in bringing world leaders together, citing the case of Putin and Trump.
But ahead of the election in Germany, the Hamburg violence will be embarrassing for Angela Merkel. The violence has become a political issue in Germany. Spiegel illustrates:
It’s no wonder, then, that representatives of the SPD and of Merkel’s conservatives have been trying to outdo each other in condemning the violence that took place. Merkel’s Chief of Staff Peter Altmaier has referred to it as “left-wing extremist terror” while Martin Schulz, the former European Parliament president who is running as the SPD’s candidate for chancellor, called the rioters “murderous arsonists.”
For me, Peter Altmaier’s comment about ‘left-wing extremist terror’ was significant. My mind quickly moved to growing left-wing radicalism in the UK. With both the Labour and Conservative Parties deeply divided, and both with weak and wobbly leaders, surely there’s a risk of left-wing extremist terror on British streets too? Are UK newspapers referring to ‘revolution in the UK’ really overstating the risks?
Thoughts?
Dr Alf's Blog 