Merkel's 'heart bleeds' but no wonder migrants find jibes no laughing matter

Louise Osborne The Guardian, Monday 17 September 2012 15.43 BST

Chancellor expresses sympathy, but stereotypes still abound as more Greeks move to Germany to escape the financial crisis

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, meets the Greek prime minister, Antonis Samaras, in Berlin last month. Greeks in Berlin say Germany is justified in pushing for austerity in exchange for bailout funds. Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/Reuters

Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, who is among those forcefully pushing Greece to meet its ambitious savings targets, said that her "heart bleeds" for the Greeks facing hardship as a consequence of swingeing cuts.

At a Monday press conference , Merkel told journalists she was aware that the Greek population was suffering but said it was also necessary for their wealthier countrymen living overseas to do their part to help the country stay in the euro.

The comments came after a decision by Germany's constitutional court last week, which backed plans for the establishment of the European stability mechanism to create a €500bn (£400bn) rescue fund for the euro zone.

Greece has faced harsh cuts during the crisis, which has seen many lose their jobs and struggle to keep homes.

However, while Merkel's comments may seem to appear like a softening of her attitude towards Greece and its predicament, economists said the German government was unlikely to change its position on reforms.

Klaus Schrader, deputy head of the Economic Policy Centre at the Kiel Institute think-tank, said: "Everybody in the German government is wanting more progress, success and a willingness to enforce reforms [in Greece].

"It is not the fault of the Greek population, but decades of bad policy which has resulted in economic catastrophe," he added.

However, Merkel's almost sympathetic outpouring will come as cold comfort for Greeks living in Berlin, who say they are suffering jibes and discrimination as more immigrants from southern Europe's struggling economies relocate to economically resilient Germany.

Greeks who left their home country to escape the deteriorating situation of increased unemployment, cuts to services and low wages, say they have been branded as lazy and have become the butt of jokes about their finances.

"Sometimes when I meet German people for the first time they ask if I have money, but in a friendly way, that pisses me off," said Grigoris Pinakas, from the village of Leptokaria, on Greece's eastern coast.

Like the thousands of Greeks who have gone to Germany over the past couple of years, the 29-year-old said he had difficulties finding a job that paid enough to live in Greece, but would like to eventually return home.

"A few times in the volkshochschule [adult education college] some teachers made a joke about the Greek crisis. And a Greek friend told me he could not rent an apartment because the owner thought he couldn't afford the rent," he added.

Others, like 25-year-old Dimitris Soudias, who was born in Germany to Greek parents, report that they have had similar experiences. "People make jokes when I'm with German friends here and they make comments," said Soudias.

"The stereotypes are annoying. It has changed a lot since 2008 and when it comes to politics, many Greeks are not comfortable speaking about it."

According to figures from the German statistics office, there are more than 9,000 Greeks living in Berlin, with an estimated 230,000 across Germany.

In 2011, about 25,000 Greeks registered their arrival in Germany, although experts say there could be many more.

"There could be around 50,000 to 60,000, with those who haven't registered," said social scientist Vassilis Tsianos, of the University of Hamburg.

"The German people are very critical about anything to do with Greece and extremely mistrustful of the fantasy of a mass Greek immigration to Germany," he said.

Many Greeks blame Germany for their predicament, but many thought Germany was justified in pushing for harsh austerity measures in exchange for bailout funds.

"I would not criticise Germany because it is doing what it needs to: to protect its own economy and its own political future," said Thanasis Boucharas, 28, who has lived in Berlin for five years as a freelance photographer.

Greeks said they blamed the Greek politicians for the problems in their debt-ridden country. They also admitted they were anxious about what would happen once the European commission, the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund submitted their report on whether Greece would be eligible to receive the next bailout instalment.

"I feel betrayed by the Greek politicians, who sabotage their own country," said Pinakas.

"I feel disgusted by the European politicians and their alleged 'help' and I feel ashamed when the whole world mocks my country. But no matter what, I will always feel proud to be Greek," he added.

Merkel's 'heart bleeds' but no wonder migrants find jibes no laughing matter | World news | The Guardian