BERLIN, Jan 16 : A prominent ally of Germany's Angela Merkel threatened on Saturday to take her government to court over its "open doors" refugee policy as political pressure grows for the chancellor to reduce the number of new arrivals.
Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer said he would send the federal government a written request within the next two weeks to restore "orderly conditions" at the nation's borders, through which one million migrants and refugees passed last year alone.
"If it doesn't follow, the state government will have no other choice but to file a suit at the federal constitutional court," Seehofer told Der Spiegel magazine.
Seehofer has issued a series of ultimatums to Merkel in recent months to press her into taking immediate action to limit the influx of migrants, only to back down at the last minute.
Meanwhile, Thousands of people have gathered in the German city of Stuttgart to protest racism and violence against asylum-seekers amid the country's massive influx of migrants.
Saturday's demonstration in the southwestern city was organized by churches, labor unions and other groups to protest attacks on refugees.
Police estimated 7,000 people turned out for the protest, the news agency dpa reported. ??REUTERS, AP