Alison Smale in Saturday's NYT on Germany and arson attacks against refugees and immigrants: ‘The arson attacks have become a German specialty. Just a few such attacks have been recorded in Sweden, and not one in neighboring Austria, despite a similar percentage of new migrants, and a far-right party polling 30 percent or more.

In Germany, the pattern of accelerating violence, experts say, coincides with the emergence of the anti-Islam, anti-immigration group Pegida since late 2014.
“Quite new right-wing extremist groups have long been building on the Internet,” said Andreas Zick, a professor at Bielefeld University who heads its Institute for Interdisciplinary Research Into Conflict and Violence. “The readiness to approve and use violence has gotten stronger and stronger in the last two years.”’

(…)

‘Tracking anti-immigrant attacks is difficult, in part because of Germany’s splintered federal system. But the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, a respected nongovernment source, compiles lists culled from news media and police reports nationwide.
During the week of Jan. 24, for instance, it found 10 suspected racist or right-wing assaults, including an arson on Jan. 25 that damaged two houses intended for 25 asylum seekers in Witten, in North Rhine-Westphalia.’

Read the article here.

I have no patience for Germany bashing, but it would be interesting to see why this arson attacks have become a German specialty.