Demon or demonised?

Anti-Angela Merkel sentiment in the European press is turning increasingly nasty, but despite the pressure she is under, those close to her say she is not for turning as she sets her sights on re-election, writes Madeline Chambers

DEMONISED in Europe’s media as a red-eyed Terminator robot, a flabby centre-fold pin-up and a fleshy Roman god eating Greeks, German chancellor Angela Merkel has become the subject of a new wave of vitriol for her tough stance on the eurozone crisis.

Already a figure of hate in Greece for insisting on austerity in exchange for aid, Merkel has long endured montages of herself in a Nazi uniform, but the run-up to this week’s EU summit has unleashed particularly savage images and headlines.