The brutal murder of a policeman by an Afghan suspect has intensified the pressure on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to adopt a more stringent approach towards migration, just days before a European election where the right wing is anticipated to make significant advances.
Scholz, in a recent address to legislators, made a commitment to expel refugees from Syria and Afghanistan who have engaged in criminal activities. Scholz expressed his strong indignation at those who, after seeking refuge in Germany, engaged in the most severe criminal activities. These individuals who engage in illegal activities should be expelled from the country, regardless of their origin.
In the last year, the governing coalition, comprised of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), enacted legislation with the purpose of simplifying the process of deporting refugees whose requests for asylum have been denied.
Nonetheless, implementing such deportations in reality, especially for those who have been found guilty of grave offenses, continues to pose challenges. In 2021, Germany ceased deportations to Afghanistan after the Taliban’s resurgence.
However, the political consequences of the violent stabbing have motivated Scholz to adopt a more stringent position on deportations, even if the actual implementation of these ideas is still unlikely. The individual implicated in the investigation, as per official reports, seemed to be driven by Islamist extremism.
The conservative opposition in Germany, which has significantly moved towards the right regarding migration since Angela Merkel’s leadership, has strongly criticized the current government’s refugee and deportation policies.
Friedrich Merz, the head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said that Germany has been facing a growing issue of radical Islamism. He emphasized the need for severe repercussions after the shooting of the police officer.
Merz criticized the coalition administration for attempting to impede, rather than facilitate, deportations in reaction to Scholz’s address before parliament. Merz said that public defenders just contribute to the proliferation of barriers to deportation.
After the murder, the leaders of the party, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, advocated for the establishment of tight borders and a strongly protected Europe, a halt to immigration, and the return of Afghan migrants who are already in the country.
