Photo Gallery Testing the Limits
In rhetoric that has mirrored similar sentiment in France, Britain and other parts of Europe, German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich recently threatened to expel at least those from Romania and Bulgaria who are unlawfully receiving public assistance benefits in Germany.
A Roma home is pictured here in Berlin's Neukölln district. A politician on the local council recently traveled to Romania to find out more about what is drawing so many people from Fântânele and other villages to Germany. "Take note of these faces," she was told. "They'll be sitting your schools in Neukölln soon, too."
Here, Roma residents of Neukölln can be seen celebrating the opening of an office of a local Roma help group. The search for a better life is driving numerous Roma families to Germany. In Berlin, politicians are registering a major influx of the new immigrants. And in Neukölln, it is proving to be a serious social policy conundrum, with most not speaking German.
Here, a teacher at the Konrad Agahd Elementary School can be seen giving a special German language class to Roma children in Neukölln. Berlin politician Franziska Giffey wants to know how it can be that some Roma children haven't ever entered a school in Romania by the time they have reached the age of 15.
Living conditions can also be poor in their new home. Trash lies in front of the homes of some Roma families in Neukölln. Because many Roma aren't able to get normal apartments, they often rent accommodations from slumlords and live in precarious conditions.
