German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed Thursday to start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left one police officer dead and four others injured. The brutal attack in Mannheim, captured on video and quickly going viral online, shocked the country.
Chancellor’s Speech Focuses on Security Ahead of European Elections
Kabul 24: Scholz addressed parliament in a speech focused on security just days before European elections in which far-right populists across the continent are expected to make big gains. “It outrages me when someone who has sought protection here commits the most serious crimes. Such criminals should be deported, even if they come from Syria and Afghanistan,” the chancellor said to the applause of lawmakers.
Attacker Came to Germany as Asylum-Seeker in 2014
The 25-year-old attacker, who killed a 29-year-old police officer who was trying to stop him, came to Germany in 2014 as an asylum-seeker. “Serious criminals and terrorist threats have no place here,” Scholz added. “In such cases, Germany’s security interests outweigh the interests of the perpetrator.”
Migration a Major Topic in European Election Campaign
Migration has been one of the major topics during the European election campaign, with far-right and mainstream parties exploiting the issue to garner votes from Europeans who have felt disgruntled by millions of new arrivals looking for refuge from wars, hunger, climate change, or just trying to build a better future.
Chancellor Refers to Attack as “Expression of Radical Islamism”
Referring to Friday’s knife attack, Scholz said that “what happened in Mannheim — the fatal knife attack on a young policeman — is an expression of the misanthropic ideology of radical Islamism. There is only one term for this: terror. Let’s declare war to terror.”
Germany Does Not Currently Carry Out Deportations to Afghanistan or Syria
Germany does not currently carry out any deportations to Afghanistan or Syria. However, the chancellor said that his government was already working on solutions to enable the deportation of convicted Afghans to Afghanistan’s neighboring countries. There have been discussions in Germany about allowing deportations to Syria again.
Tougher Deportation Rules for Terrorists and Supporters
Scholz also promised that deportation rules for all others who commit or support terrorism will be toughened as well.
German Public Mood Shifts on Migration
Many Germans initially welcomed migrants when more than 1 million people from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq came to Germany in 2015-16 following wars and instability in their home countries. However, the mood has changed in recent years, with many Germans expressing concerns about the impact of migration on their communities
