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IMMIGRATION

Austria’s disputed asylum law passes final political hurdle

Austria’s controversial asylum law that allows the government to turn away most asylum seekers at the border in emergency circumstances has passed the final hurdle in the parliamentary system.

Austria's disputed asylum law passes final political hurdle
NGO Caritas provides support to asylum seekers. Photo: Caritas

The law was heard and passed on Thursday in the country’s federal chamber, the last parliamentary step for a law, by a majority of 37 votes to 20.

The law had already passed the first and larger parliamentary chamber two weeks ago by 98 votes to 67.

The government will now be able to declare a “state of emergency” if the migrant numbers suddenly rise and reject most asylum-seekers directly at the border, including from war-torn countries like Syria.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka insists Austria – which received 90,000 asylum applications in 2015 and has enforced a cap for 2016 at 37,500 applications – had no other choice as long as “so many other European Union members fail to do their part” to stop the influx.

The Grüne (Green) party are critical of the new rules, however, which they think might be unconstitutional and contradictory of EU law.

Before it was passed in the first level of the Austrian parliament, the head of the Green party Eva Glawischnig said that the law contradicts the European Convention on Human Rights.

“That is an absolute breach of taboo,” she said.

The government wrote into the law that it will abide by international human rights treaties on asylum, although experts say it will be extremely difficult to do this in practice if police are told to turn people away at the border.

“There will be no access for most of the people to the asylum procedure nor for them to check whether there is an infringement on their rights,” Austrian asylum law expert Dr. Christian Schmaus told The Local Austria.

Schmaus added it may be possible that the European Commission, who have the power to investigate national laws, will decide to examine whether Austria’s new rules comply with the EU law on asylum.

A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed to the Local Austria that they have already voiced their concerns with Austria about the law.

“The Commission expects Austria to communicate the new measures swiftly once the legislative procedure has been finalised,” said spokesperson Natasha Bertaud.

“This will allow the Commission to fully analyse the political and legal implications of the new measures.”

UPDATED: This story was updated at 12:30 to include the comments provided by the European Commission.

 

FAR-RIGHT

Germany issues entry ban to Austrian far-right activist Sellner

Radical Austrian nationalist Martin Sellner has been banned from entering Germany, it emerged on Tuesday, days after he was deported from Switzerland.

Germany issues entry ban to Austrian far-right activist Sellner

Sellner, a leader of Austria’s white pride Identitarian Movement, posted a video of himself on X, formerly Twitter, reading out a letter he said was from the city of Potsdam.

A spokeswoman for the city authorities confirmed to AFP that an EU citizen had been served with a “ban on their freedom of movement in Germany”.

The person can no longer enter or stay in Germany “with immediate effect” and could be stopped by police or deported if they try to enter the country, the spokeswoman said, declining to name the individual for privacy reasons.

READ ALSO: Who is Austria’s far-right figurehead banned across Europe?

“We have to show that the state is not powerless and will use its legitimate means,” Mike Schubert, the mayor of Potsdam, said in a statement.

Sellner caused an uproar in Germany after allegedly discussing the Identitarian concept of “remigration” with members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at a meeting in Potsdam in November.

Reports of the meeting sparked a huge wave of protests against the AfD, with tens of thousands of Germans attending demonstrations across the country.

READ ALSO:

Swiss police said Sunday they had prevented a hundred-strong far-right gathering due to be addressed by Sellner, adding that he had been arrested and deported.

The Saturday meeting had been organised by the far-right Junge Tat group, known for its anti-immigration and anti-Islamic views.

The group is also a proponent of the far-right white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory espoused by Sellner’s Identitarian Movement.

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