The German Government wants to put a stop to hate messages on the Internet, such as those that occurred after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 9 or after the stabbing attack at an event critical of Islam in the German city of Mannheim, when an Afghan murdered a police officer. And it will do so within the package of measures with which it will modify migration and residence laws to toughen them and make it easier for those who commit crimes or glorify terrorist acts to be returned to their countries of origin.
“We are taking tough measures against Islamist and anti-Semitic hate crimes on the Internet,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced this Wednesday. “Anyone who does not have a German passport and glorifies a terrorist act should, wherever possible, be expelled,” she added. The coalition Executive (between Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals) chaired by Chancellor Olaf Scholz has approved a bill to facilitate the deportations of those who promote or simply praise these acts, in street protests or written demonstrations. A prior criminal conviction will not be necessary, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.
The government wants the bill to be quickly approved by the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) so that it can come into force as soon as possible. The chancellor announced earlier this month that deportation laws would be tightened following the murder of a police officer in Mannheim. The incident shocked German society and fuelled debate about the expulsion of foreigners who do not have the right to remain in the country but who are not deported.
Scholz then assured that his Government was preparing legislative changes to allow criminals and “dangerous people” to be sent more quickly to their countries of origin, even in the case of places that are not considered safe, such as Afghanistan or Syria. This decision caused controversy, because until now Germany follows to the letter international legislation according to which people cannot be deported to war zones even if those affected are threatened with torture, death or other types of mistreatment in their country. This is stated in both the German Constitution and the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees.
The tightening of asylum and deportation laws comes at a time of the rise of the far-right, anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and of growing concern about immigration and security in Germany. The presidents of the federal states, who are in charge of managing the deportations of irregular immigrants, have been pushing for some time to toughen the laws that allow expulsions. The conservative opposition also demands a tough hand.
Glorifying acts of terrorism through comments on the internet “fosters a climate of violence that can encourage extremists to commit new violent acts,” said Minister Faeser when explaining the developments. The defense of terrorist crimes will constitute “an especially serious reason for deportation,” her ministry adds. This includes “condoning, welcoming, or glorifying” these acts.
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