Pressure grows on German leader in the wake of Berlin Christmas market terror attack failings as hundreds of far-right demonstrators take to the streets
Many Germans are furious about the level of migration into the nation
THE political future of German chancellor Angela Merkel is in crisis because of a tide of anti-migrant sentiment in the wake of the Berlin Christmas market massacre in Berlin.
And it has also emerged that Merkel tried to force German trade unions to accept asylum seekers as lorry drivers in a bitter row shortly before the Christmas market tragedy in Berlin.
Conservative lawmaker Stephan Mayer, a critic of Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal stance on asylum, told public radio that the case "held up a magnifying glass" to the failings of her migration policy.
But Armin Laschet, a deputy leader of Merkel's Christian Democrats, placed the blame with regional security authorities, calling their failure to keep tabs on Amri "shocking".
It was revealed that Merkel had put massive pressure on unions to speed up the process in which unskilled refugees could be trained as lorry drivers.
The German leader said in September companies should "consider hiring and training refugees as lorry drivers" while they are awaiting their asylum procedure as there is a "big shortage of lorry drivers in the country."
She said that the plan was to get a change in the rules to make it cheaper for them to apply for a licence, with the plan for them to pay just £420 to swap a Syrian driving licence for a German one.
The Organisation of German Professional Lorry Drivers (BDBK) led the opposition to the plan.
At the time, BDBK chairman Wolfgang Westermann said: "We give a definite no to use refugees as lorry drivers. Professional lorry drivers need a thorough and qualified education. You cannot let everyone drive off in a 40-tonne lorry."
Last night supporters of a far-right party in Germany staged a protest outside Merkel's office, demanding she steps down.
The Alternative for Deutschland party - known as AfD - has been critical of Merkel's policy of welcoming refugees to the country following the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
But left-wing activists chanted "refugees are welcome here" and holding up signs reading "spread love not hate", leading to angry scenes of confrontation in the German capital.
And following the Berlin terror attack on Monday night, which saw 12 die and 50 injured, the party are seemingly trying to hold the Chancellor responsible.
Matthew Goodwin, a senior fellow at the Chatham House think tank, said attacks such as the one in Berlin represented a "significant opportunity" for the "radical right" to emphasise the issue of security.
"Across much of Europe, the radical right is increasingly linking the migrant crisis to security," alongside their traditional anti-elite and anti-immigration campaign messages, he said.
A crowd were seen this evening holding signs which read: "This Country Must Stay German!"
Another sign said: "Merkel must go".
Following Monday's terror attack, police confirmed they are looking for an asylum-seeker from Tunisia after finding an identity document under the driver's seat of the truck that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market.
The federal prosecutor's office have now offered a reward of up to €100,000 for information leading to the capture of the suspect, whom it identified as 24-year-old Anis Amri.
"Beware: He could be violent and armed" the prosecutor's office said in a statement, in which it described Amri as 1.78 metres tall, with black hair and brown eyes.
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German police commandos raided two apartments in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg late on Wednesday but did not find Amri, Die Welt newspaper reported, citing investigators.
Amri's father and security sources told Tunisia's Radio Mosaique that he had left Tunisia seven years ago as an illegal immigrant and had spent time in prison in Italy.
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