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German minister warns far-right AfD over ‘deportation’ talks row

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday warned the far-right AfD it is not above the law as it faces a backlash over reports some of its members attended a meeting that discussed the mass-expulsion of immigrants.

Published: 18 January 2024 22:05 CET
People take part in a march against the far-right, including the AfD, in Mainz on January 18th.
People take part in a march against the far-right, including the AfD, in Mainz on January 18th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Helmut Fricke

The minister said it was “right and necessary” for Germany’s domestic security agency to keep close tabs on the party, which she said shared an ideology with the Nazis.

Members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is currently riding high in opinion polls, reportedly discussed the mass deportation of foreigners as well as “non assimilated citizens” at the meeting with extremists, including a prominent Austrian far-right leader.

Since news of the meeting was leaked last week by investigative media outlet Correctiv, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Germany to protest against the party.

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Speaking to parliament, Faeser slammed the AfD for what she called “right-wing extremist networking”, warning that “it will in no way be tolerated”.

“Those who fantasise about reconquering and remigration are drawing on the same ideas that paved the way for the inhuman racial laws of the Nazis” she said, adding that “no participant in such a meeting can claim ignorance”.

Germany will use “all the instruments available… including criminal law and bans on associations” to defend its democracy, Faeser added.

The AfD has been classified by Germany’s domestic security agency as a “suspected case” of right-wing extremism, allowing intelligence agents to ttap its communications and possibly use undercover informants.

Faeser on Thursday defended the move for close surveillance of the party as “right and necessary”.

The report by Correctiv created a shockwave in Germany at a time when the AfD is polling at between 21 and 23 percent nationally in terms of voting intentions.

The party has more than 30 percent support in some parts of the former East Germany, where regional elections are due to be held later this year.

Correctiv reported that AfD officials met Martin Sellner, a leader of Austria’s white pride Identitarian Movement.

He had presented a plan to “reverse the inward migration of foreigners” and remove migrants and asylum seekers instead, it said.

The Identitarian Movement subscribes to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that claims there is a plot by non-white migrants to replace Europe’s “native” white population.

With several more mass protests planned this weekend, even football managers from Germany’s Bundesliga have joined calls for Germans to take to the streets.

“Anyone who does nothing now has learned nothing from school or history,” Freiburg manager Christian Streich said at a press conference on Thursday.

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

Published: 25 June 2024 12:06 CEST
German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question. 

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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