Across Europe, also in Germany, people paid tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks with a minute of silence at 12 noon on Monday. To demonstrate solidarity, the Chancellor will be attending the international football match on Tuesday evening, when Germany plays the Netherlands. The German government has already stepped up security measures.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel intends to take a stand against Islamist terrorism on Tuesday evening. She will be in the stadium in Hannover when Germany’s national football team plays the Netherlands. Several Cabinet ministers will accompany her, including Thomas de Maizière, Sigmar Gabriel and Heiko Maas.
By attending the match the Chancellor intends to demonstrate "solidarity with those in Paris affected by the attacks and with the German national team," said deputy government spokesperson Christiane Wirtz on Monday.
The Chancellor has assured Germany’s French friends of any support they might request. This support can already be seen in the close cooperation between the state authorities and agencies of the two countries "in an effort to clarify exactly what happened on Friday night in Paris," said Christiane Wirtz.
Germany’s support is also reflected in the great demonstration of solidarity that has come not only from the German government, but also from the German people. As the deputy government spokesperson said, "You can see outside the French Embassy in Berlin, how many people are affected by what has happened in France and in Paris, and how many people in Germany too feel for the victims and for those injured."
On Saturday, in the wake of the terrorist attacks, the Chancellor said that her thoughts were with the over 120 people whose lives were abruptly and prematurely ended, and with their families and friends. "Germany shares your pain and your grief."
Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with France, assured Angela Merkel. "We will fight by your side against those who have inflicted such inconceivable suffering on you." This attack on liberty targets not only Paris, said the Chancellor. "It targets all of us and it has hit all of us."
At the G20 summit in Turkey, Angela Merkel stressed on Monday that the summit had sent an important signal "that we are stronger than terrorism". What is important is international cooperation and a large number of measures, "not all of which are military," said Angela Merkel. It is, for instance, important to stop the flow of money to the terrorists.
In the meantime the German government has stepped up security measures. Germany is in the firing line of international terrorism, said the spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Johannes Dimroth, on Monday. "The measures focus on the dual goals of investigating what has happened and putting in place precautions to prevent any repetition," he explained. The German authorities are in close contact with their French counterparts, with a view to clarifying the facts as swiftly as possible.
In response to a request by France, border controls along the German-French border have been stepped up. Controls have also been tightened on flights between the two countries and Germany’s federal police are controlling cross-border traffic between Germany and France more strictly.
On Saturday (14 November), Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière declared, "This abhorrent, brutal act of terrorism targets not only France, but also Germany." "The security measures that Germany has already put in place include a higher profile police presence and stricter controls on air and rail traffic to and from France. The police are also "more robustly equipped".
Government representatives have stressed that there is no direct link between the attacks and the refugee debate. There is "not one single proven link between terrorism and refugees, with one possible exception – and that is that the refugees have fled from the same people in Syria who are responsible for the attacks in Paris," stressed Federal Justice Minister Heiko Maas in a television interview on Monday.
At the G20 summit too, there was agreement, reported deputy government spokesperson Christiane Wirtz, "that these attacks in Paris merely confirm that the refugee policy agenda of the German government and many other European states is correct".