Germany, financing the funds to rescue the euro, is obviously a driving force of the EU. Nevertheless, people of some European countries where the crisis has been less merciful declaim against Berlin in the person of Angela Merkel.
A landslide of protests swept through the countries pressed by budget spending cuts. The protesters were scrutinizing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, depicted on placards in SS uniform and with Hitler moustache. Mass media stigmatized her policy as economic fascism labelling the government she leads the Fourth Reich. An appeal to negative emotions related to Germany’s history stirred massive protests.
The keynote of the demonstrations on Cyprus, triggered by a new bank tax, was the assumption that it is Angela Merkel who actually needs to raise this money and that the very idea of imposing such a tax belongs to her. To draw more attention, the participants of the demonstrations put Merkel masks on. And yet, as German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has it, Ms Merkel only announced the amount to be charged from Cyprus in exchange for a bailout meant to save the country from default.
The protests in Greece were penetrated by anti-German rhetoric. Some demonstrators were even wearing Nazi uniforms during Angela’s visit to Athens.
Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi repeatedly took advantage of anti-German sentiment to score more points and consolidate his image. For instance, at a time of election campaign, the former Prime Minister pledged to withhold ambitions of Ms Merkel if necessary. The glaring statements Silvio Berlusconi were dubbed by Il Giornale owned by his brother. In particular, he said that if he won, everything would change, adding that Angela Merkel was aware of that.
The only country left unswept by a flood of anti-German spirits is Spain. Despite the ubiquitous attacks on Ms Merkel and her ineffective policy, Germany still looks attractive to Spanish labour migrants.
Germans have not responded to the pokes yet, but, as tour operators inform, the number of travellers to Greece markedly shrank. German Chancellor refrains from commenting the insults from South Europe, stubbornly sticking to her own way. To improve the German-Greek relations, Angela Merkel sent Otto Rehhagel as a goodwill ambassador to Athens, who coached Greece’s national team to a Euro 2004 victory.