German Mall Shut After Fears of an Attack
Bernd Thissen/AP
A shopping mall in Essen, Germany has been closed by police due to fears of a terrorist attack. Unlike the previous attacks in Dusseldorf, in which matters were unclear, police have stated the involvement of Muslim extremists.
Recently, some anti-Muslim commentators such as Kate Hopkins have alleged that German police are attempting to cover up foreign extremist activities, particularly in relation to the recent incidents in Dusseldorf.
This is seen as an attempt to defend multiculturalism and immigration, despite the German government's seeking increased deportations of asylum seekers, likely as a means to gain political capital ahead of the German national election in September. This move has been contested by German states given its questionable designation of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria as "safe countries of origin". How this serves multiculturalism is questionable.
This new security threat demonstrates that, when evidence actually exists of extremist involvement, the police are in fact willing to admit this, contrary to the theories of anti-Muslim commentators.
