German far-right supporters shout 'GET LOST' at Angela Merkel while she visits Dresden as they protest her 2015 decision to welcome refugees from Muslim countries
- Far-right protesters chanted 'Merkel must go!' as they called on her to resign
- The Chancellor said she would act quicker to deport rejected asylum seekers
- The protest against Merkel was organised by the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told far-right protesters she would act to deport rejected asylum seekers quicker after a mob gathered to protest her immigration policies in Dresden today.
Hundreds of far-right protesters chanted 'Merkel must go!' as they called on the German Chancellor to resign.
The protest against Merkel was organised by the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement. Supporters held up messages including one reading: 'Girls die, Mrs Merkel' and another saying 'Merkel is acting unconstitutionally, Merkel must leave'.
Angela Merkel gestures during a podium discussion with employees during her visit in the TRUMPF Sachsen GmbH in Neukirch, eastern Germany
Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and parliamentary party leader of the CDU in Saxony Frank Kupfe in Dresden, Saxony today
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They congregated today to protest her decision in 2015 to welcome about one million refugees, mainly from Muslim countries.
Merkel's move caused a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment and helped lift the far right into the national parliament after elections last year.
They chanted 'Merkel must go!' and 'Get lost' as she arrived in Dresden in the formerly communist east of Germany where far right views are more widespread than in the west of the country.
Speaking after her meeting with lawmakers, Merkel said she was aware that her decision on refugees had unsettled voters and raised concerns about the state's ability to act and stay in control.
'Merkel is acting unconstitutionally, Merkel must leave' as they take part in a protest against German Chancellor Angela Merkel today
People hold a banner reading: 'Girls die, Mrs Merkel' as they protest against German Chancellor Angela Merkel as she visits the state parliament in Dresden, Germany today
'I made clear that we have a situation now where not all problems have been solved, especially deportations are still a big problem,' she told a news conference.
'The federal government will assume more responsibility here, especially by helping to procure the needed documents.'
Local authorities say they often struggle to deport rejected asylum seekers because they have no passports and due to the reluctance of foreign countries to issue provisional identification documents for them.
There were also counter-protesters in the vicinity but no clashes or other incidents had been reported so far, a police spokesman said. He declined to give figures of the protesters.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a press conference after a meeting of the CDU
Merkel has repeatedly defended her decision to admit hundreds of thousands of migrants as a humanitarian necessity, but has since vowed to prevent a repeat of such a situation and to battle the root causes of migration into Europe.
The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party benefited from migration concerns as it became the third largest party in the national parliament last year and complicated Merkel's efforts to re-establish a stable governing coalition.
The eastern state of Saxony, home to Dresden, will vote for a new state parliament in September 2019 and polls suggest that the AfD could become the second-strongest party, with the CDU likely to come in first.
Merkel was expected to address reporters later on Thursday after her meeting with CDU lawmakers in Dresden.
A banner reading: 'Dissemblers' is seen during a protest against German Chancellor Merkel
'Merkel is acting unconstitutionally, Merkel must leave' is held aloft in Dresden today
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