Germany’s Christian Democrat Union (CDU) candidate for chancellor Friedrich Merz says that Germany cannot accept more Syrians from Syria and that those Syrians who are not integrated should return to Syria.
Notably, Merz is pointing to the sky-high levels of unemployment among many of the country’s Syrian population. The chancellor candidate, during an appearance on ARD, said the “one-third” who “work and are integrated” in Germany can stay, “but the two-thirds do not work, they are overwhelmingly young men, many of them can go back, and many must go back.”
He said that a push to return many of these migrants must occur, saying: “We must now speak very openly with them and say: You have no place in Germany in the long term… We have long been of the opinion that at least people could have returned to the north a long time ago, and now to other parts of the country as well.”
There are currently 1 million Syrians in the country, and those not working have become a major burden for German taxpayers. According to government data, 210,000 are employed, while 250,000 are currently “looking for work.” Another 150,000 are unemployed.
Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government, there is a European-wide push to return Syrians to their country; however, the ruling German government has expressed caution about the security situation in the country.
🇩🇪🚨 Germany's far-left Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says that no "repatriations" will happen yet to Syria.
However, this "wait-and-see" approach could stretch into years. Meanwhile, more and more Syrians are obtaining German citizenship.
Ireland's taking the same approach. pic.twitter.com/aLtB6npesR
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 13, 2024Merz himself said there should be a halt to accepting new refugees from Syria and that “those who come could also have been members of Assad’s militias and we have no use for them in Germany.”
The CDU under Merkel is responsible for most of the Syrians in Germany after Merkel gave the greenlight to allow them to settle in the country. Many of the Syrians in Germany have shown no interest in returning home.
This Syrian migrant famously took a selfie with Merkel back in 2016.
Now, he says he has no plans to return to Syria.
The same applies for hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Even if conditions improve in Syria, many receive benefits in Germany they'll never willingly give up. pic.twitter.com/wkXGhacFDV
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 13, 2024Both the CDU and their sister party, the Christian Socialists (CSU), are pushing for rapid deportation of criminals. The head of the CSU in the Bundestag, Alexander Dobrindt, told the Rheinische Post that “if reasons for protection no longer apply and the right of residence expires in many cases, then repatriation to Syria must also be possible.” He said he is pushing for the quick deportation of criminals first and foremost and financial support for voluntary departures.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has also called for Syrians to return to their country, and the CDU may have trouble implementing its agenda on this issue. It has already signaled it will refuse to work with the AfD following February elections and will instead join a coalition with the Green Party. The Greens, in turn, have already rejected calls to return Syrians.
2.54 million recipients of welfare benefits in Germany have a foreign background, making up 63% of the overall total. https://t.co/09crBq8Xls
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 20, 2024“By demanding immediate return and combining this with incentives, the Union (CDU) shows once again that it is using migration policy for its election campaign and disregarding the reality in the Middle East,” said Lamya Kaddor, the Greens’ domestic policy spokeswoman in the Bundestag,
She said she hopes that every Syrian who wishes to return voluntarily will be able to do so safely.
“At the same time, many Syrians have been naturalized and have become native here. Many are making a valuable contribution to our society, their children are German and they are building a life for themselves in Germany,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Social Democrats are attacking what they say is the un-Christian stance of the Christian Democrats.
🇩🇪 Germans say they're "shocked" about the mass stabbing by a Syrian national at the "Festival of Diversity" in Solingen.
But there is nothing to be shocked about. Knife crime in Germany is soaring, predominately due to mass immigration.
That is a statistical fact. pic.twitter.com/NWAxJp2gBe
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) August 28, 2024“The fact that the CDU and CSU are talking about deportations first after the fall of the dictator Assad and against the backdrop of a still unclear situation in Syria is shabby and cynical,” SPD parliamentary group vice-chairman Dirk Wiese told the Rheinische Post .
“The Union would be consistent in its stance if it were to remove the C from its name,” said Wiese. “Our support should clearly go to the Syrians who have had to live under a terrible regime for years – towards a free and safe Syria.”
