The German government-in-waiting has said foreigners must assimilate into the country’s local values and culture as it tries to curb migration.
Following the collapse this month of Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Sholz’s fragile three-party coalition, the country’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union political party has been promoting its ‘Leitkultur’ manifesto, which highlights the importance of making migrants in Germany adapt. culturally.
This includes speaking the German language, respecting German law, and becoming a German citizen.
Speaking to The Telegraph, CDU Home Affairs spokesperson Alexander Throm stated that all foreigners living in Germany should adopt the concept of “Leitkultur”.
“This is how we live in Germany as a cultural nation,” he said.
‘It is not only about our languages and customs, but also about our cultural and historical foundations. Ultimately it means that people, regardless of why they come to Germany, orient themselves towards this cultural base and not the other way around.’
Throm also revealed that Germany will begin turning away non-European refugees from its border if the CDU wins the next election, due to its “special duty” towards Ukraine.
He also warned that EU states are expected to take in a fairer share of refugees in the future, as Germany has already taken in 1.2 million migrants from Ukraine.
CDU Home Affairs Spokesperson Alexander Throm said foreigners must assimilate into the country’s local values and culture.
FILE PHOTO: A German police officer escorts a group of migrants who illegally crossed the border from Poland into Germany
‘It is clear that we support our European neighbors and refugees. But it is also clear that, with each new movement of refugees in our direction, we must ensure that they are properly distributed in all European countries,” he said.
Germany receives the largest number of asylum applications in the European Union: almost a third of all total applications from the 27 member states.
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to admit more than a million refugees fleeing the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in 2015 has proven controversial in Germany; Even Merkel herself admitted that, while she supported his decision, “for some time we did not have enough control.” ‘ on the border.
The collapse of the German government in November invites the possibility of change, with the CDU’s centre-right Frierich Merz expected to do well after his campaign for a stronger stance on migration.
Throm’s comments come after it was announced last month that asylum seekers would be stripped of their benefits after the government voted to tighten its rules for refugees.
The package of measures will withdraw benefits from asylum seekers who have already been registered in other EU countries and are scheduled to be deported.
It will also mean that refugees who temporarily return to their home countries will “as a general rule” lose their right to protection in Germany, according to the legislation.
His comments come after the German parliament voted last month to tighten rules for asylum seekers.
The new rules were introduced by the government in August in response to a fatal stabbing at a festival in the western city of Solingen. The image shows police officers protecting the area from Solingen attacks after a man accidentally stabbed passers-by with a knife.
Anti-immigration sentiment in Germany marks a shift in the country’s attitudes toward immigration, nearly a decade after former Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the country’s doors to refugees in 2015.
The same will apply to refugees who commit crimes with anti-Semitic or homophobic motivation.
The new rules were introduced by the government in August in response to a fatal stabbing at a festival in the western city of Solingen.
The suspect, a 26-year-old Syrian with alleged ties to the Islamic State group, was scheduled for deportation but evaded authorities’ attempts to deport him.
The full package will also introduce stricter rules on knife carrying and give police broader investigative powers.