French News

CORONAVIRUS FRANCE: ‘Bashed by Le Bosch’ French Nationals attacked and Insulted by German Border Controls

By Tony Winterburn • Published: 14 Apr 2020 • 20:09

French Nationals have protested at the heavy-handed approach dished out by police at German Border Controls with reports of verbal and physical assaults common-place.

GERMANY introduced border controls in March, to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Since then French people in Germany have been the target of aggression, which the economy minister has said is unacceptable.

Germany’s foreign minister has condemned aggression towards French people in the border areas between the two countries that has risen up during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Coronavirus knows nothing of nationality. It’s the same for human dignity. It hurts to see how some of our French friends have been insulted and attacked because of Covid-19,” Heiko Maas wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “Such behaviour is completely unacceptable. And besides: we are in the same boat.”

Germany introduced border controls on March 16, and since then, only goods are allowed through, and commuters who work on opposite sides of the border. Police have turned back other travellers.

The French region on the German border, Grand Est, has been the country’s hardest hit by Covid-19, with more than 2,000 confirmed deaths.

Across the border, in Germany’s Saarland state, only 41 deaths have been registered. Germany’s nationwide death rate of 2,544 is far below France’s 13,800.

The French consul in Saarland, Catherine Robinet said the incidents against French people are isolated and date back to March when the border was being closed.

She did give one example though of several French housekeepers who were working for a cleaning company on the German side of the border who were banned from coming to work from one day to the next.