Daily Archive

As the scent of glühwein and roasted almonds fills the air at Germany’s beloved Christmas markets this season, an unmistakable pall hangs over the festivities. These centuries-old traditions, rooted in Christian Advent celebrations, are now fortified like fortresses with concrete barriers, armed guards, and soaring security costs—reminders of repeated vehicle-ramming attacks that have claimed dozens of lives.

The most infamous remain the 2016 Berlin market assault by an Islamist terrorist that killed 13, but heightened fears persist amid ongoing threats and the lingering trauma from last year’s deadly incident in Magdeburg. Soaring expenses have forced some smaller towns to cancel their markets altogether, dimming the lights of joy in communities that once gathered freely to honor the birth of Christ. The root of this destabilization lies in unchecked mass immigration, particularly from Muslim-majority countries, which has overwhelmed Germany’s capacity for meaningful integration. Successive waves of newcomers arrive without sufficient pauses for assimilation into German values—secularism, equality, and cultural traditions like these public Christmas celebrations. Many cling to ideologies incompatible with Western society, importing a violent strain of Islam that views such displays as infidel provocations worthy of attack. Without downtime to learn the language, respect women’s rights, or embrace religious tolerance, parallel societies form where radicalism festers, turning public spaces into potential battlegrounds and eroding the social cohesion that once made Germany a beacon of peaceful multiculturalism.

This is the tragic fruit of a violent Islamic religion allowed to take root unchecked: a society forced to barricade its most cherished holidays or cancel them outright. As concrete bollards replace open-hearted welcome, we see the slow surrender of European Christian heritage to fear. Yet in this season of hope, let us remember the true message of Christmas—light piercing darkness. Germany must reclaim control of its borders and demand integration, or risk losing its soul entirely. Merry Christmas, indeed, but one increasingly celebrated behind walls.