Internal conflict threatens Germany’s ruling “traffic light” coalition over its audacious plan to use British infrastructure in Rwanda to settle illegal immigrants in the latest attempt to appease errant right-wing voters.
Anxious politicians have suggested Germany could revive the plan scrapped by Britain’s Labour government in an apparent effort to regain support after the far-right AfD party made gains with its first victory in a state election earlier this month.
But the move to shore up support has alienated factions on the left: the Greens, the centre-left SPD and the liberal FDP fiercely oppose the plan as illegal and costly.
“Even if we were to go ahead with this, it would mean that the entire asylum system in Germany – and in other EU countries – would be dependent on a dictator in Rwanda. Basically, the EU would be in the hands of (President Paul) Kagame,” said Erik Marquardt, a Green MEP. Yo.
Concerns about immigration have come to the forefront of German politics with a series of attacks by Islamists rocking the country in recent months, most recently at a gathering of Christians in Solingen late last month.
Far-right protesters hold a banner reading “remigration now” as they march through the streets of Solingen, following a stabbing attack, on August 26.
A 26-year-old Syrian man, suspected of the Solingen attack, is escorted away by police on August 25.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits the scene of the August 26 knife attack
Protesters display a banner reading “Ban AFD now” during a demonstration in Erfurt, January 9.
The German government is facing increasing pressure to be seen to be responding to migration as support for the AfD gains momentum in the East.
The far-right party claimed its first victory in a state election in Thuringia on September 1 and came second in neighbouring Saxony.
Germany’s Brandmauer – literally “firewall,” a coalition agreement not to ally with the AfD – remains in place to prevent the party from coming to power, but support for tougher migration policies continues to galvanize the far right at the expense of the SPD, FDP and Greens.
Post-election polls suggest asylum and migration are the two key issues for Germans across the country, and that support for the party is genuine, rather than a protest vote, increasing pressure on the coalition government to act.
“The problem is not migration, but Islamism,” Marquardt told i.
“Our approach is to try to find solutions. And the idea that there is an easy solution through a single measure, like sending people to Rwanda, is simply wrong.
“It’s basically populism, and the same thing happened in the UK: the British government decided to turn this populism into law, and it was a huge waste of money.”
German immigration commissioner Joachim Stamp suggested last week that the country could take advantage of British progress in Rwanda to implement a similar plan.
He claimed that Russia and Belarus were intentionally pushing migrants towards Western Europe to destabilise Germany and its neighbours.
“My suggestion would be to focus on this group. It’s about 10,000 people a year,” he said. saying in a podcast, adding that the deterrent effect of a plan for Rwanda could “remove the motivation to come to the EU”.
Such a plan would require changes to EU law on how asylum is processed.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Fiance to “examine” the case of an asylum processing center abroad in November last year.
He insisted that any plan would be “in compliance with the Geneva Convention on Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights.”
But Scholz also acknowledged that the plans would be plagued by “a whole series of legal issues.”
A Rwandan government spokesman welcomed the suggestion, saying they were “happy to work with anyone who shares their desire to find a long-term solution to the migration problem.”
Germany welcomed a more open policy toward migration under Chancellor Angela Merkel, allowing more than a million asylum seekers to cross into Germany in 2015.
But Poland shares the claim that Russia has weaponized migration, encouraging asylum seekers to cross into central Europe and increasing attempted illegal border crossings from Belarus.
As in other Western nations, the appeal of populist parties appears to be driven in part by the loss of well-paid jobs.
Volkswagen announced last week that it was considering closing factories in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history, warning that the European auto industry was in a “very… serious situation.”
The Hope Hotel in Rwanda, which was prepared to accept asylum seekers from the UK
A far-right supporter wearing a T-shirt of the minority far-right party, The Third Way (Der Dritte Weg), attends a protest in Solingen on August 26.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame speaks during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing on September 5.
“The economic environment has become even more difficult and new competitors are entering the European market. Against this backdrop, we as a company must act decisively,” said CEO Oliver Blume.
The announcement marked a change of course from a pledge not to cut jobs in Germany until at least 2029.
The AfD has also gained support for its critical stance on Germany’s support for Ukraine.
Germany has been one of the largest contributors of aid to Ukraine since the war broke out.
But concerns about spending have offered support to fringe parties that do not follow the rules, despite the looming threat Russia poses to Europe.