Support for Merkel’s conservatives has fallen to its lowest level in three years, while the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is gaining support. Merkel has faced calls from some of her own conservatives to tighten Germany’s border controls and turn away refugees arriving from Austria – pressure she has resisted.
The head of Germany’s police trade union said the country needed to erect a fence along its border if it was serious about stemming the flow of migrants.