"Not All M and M's Are Blue"

It's an odd analogy but I'll use it in this case.

On Monday afternoon of this week....over in Trier....at a refugee camp set up by the Germans, there was a friendly soccer game that developed.

There's been some efforts by the German operations people over these immigration and refugee camps to get people busy and occupied.  In this type of atmosphere where it might be weeks before your paperwork is approved or disapproved....there's tension.  Folks have anxiety and stress on their mind.  It's not a pleasant situation.  You've come thousands of miles, endeared pretty harsh conditions, You've put yourself into some bitter days and nights.....to reach Germany and hope they won't send you back home.

Well....there's this accidental mess that the Germans created in this whole scheme of things....mixing nationalities together and thinking that it won't go badly.

On Monday afternoon in Trier, in the midst of this friendly soccer game between the Syrians and some Albanians....someone got a bit upset, and a fight started up.  Cops got called.  What the German news folks will say is that it was a plain old brawl. Spectators got into the fight.  Estimates go as high as 200 people involved in this mess.  Almost seventy cops or local authorities were involved in stopping the fight.  A ambulance was called and at least one guy had some fair injuries requiring the hospital, although he was released later.

What the camp managers now say is that soccer games probably won't occur again....just to be on the safe side.  And the cops indicate that they will show a presence around the camp....to ensure people get the idea that peace is expected.

The long term issue I end up seeing is that it's several different refugee groups in this German situation.  Eritrea, Ethiopia, and a host of African countries have refugees in Germany currently.  From the Middle East, you've got Syrians, Afghans, Pakistanis, and Iraqis.  From down south, you have Albanians, Serbs, and Kosovarians.  Each group has different feelings over their problems, and each feels hostile against other groups who apparently have a higher priority or higher acceptance deal in Germany.  The Albanians know that they probably will not be approved to stay....while the Syrians are pretty confident they will be approved.

All of this will lead to more confrontations as time goes by.

So I'll make this prediction.  Separate camps for separate nationalities.  As silly and as much hassle as it will cause the Germans to create and run X number of camps with various dividing lines....I think it'll happen by spring of next year.  If you think it's a mess now....it's only going to get worse.  But I'll offer one more analogy into this mix as well.....life isn't fair.  I think the refugees and immigrants on the trail to Germany are beginning to figure that out.