Latest news with #ClaraBünger
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Far-left German opposition slams police over handling of deportations
Germany's opposition The Left party has slammed the authorities over the way the country is conducting deportations, as the number of people forced to leave the country surpassed 6,000 in the first quarter. "I am aware of several deportations in which the police acted brutally and without any empathy," Clara Bünger, the far-left party's spokeswoman on refugee policy, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland media group in comments published Friday. "We are talking about families being torn apart in cold blood or sick people being literally kidnapped from hospital and carted off to deportation flights," Bünger said. She said it appeared that authorities were acting according to the idea that "you can do almost anything to people who are required to leave the country." Her comments come after Germany deported 6,151 individuals in the first three months of the year, according to the response to a parliamentary inquiry by Bünger's party from Tuesday. In 2024, some 20,100 people were deported in total. Germany's new conservative-led government, which took office on May 6, has vowed to crack down on irregular migration. While it has since intensified border checks and allowed police to turn away people looking to claim asylum, the first quarter figures are attributable to the previous centre-left administration, which also toughened its stance on migration amid a series of attacks attributed to suspects with migrant roots. Most people deported in the first quarter of 2025 were deported to Turkey, at 502. This was followed by deportations to Georgia (454), France (333), Spain (325) and Serbia (291). A total of 1,715 people were deported under the EU's Dublin rules, which stipulates that in general the EU country the refugee first enters is responsible for processing their application for asylum.
Local Germany
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
Germany deports 'above average' number of people at the start of 2025
In the first three months of the year, 6,151 people were deported from Germany -- more than the average number of deportations seen per quarter in the past two years. This figure was announced by the federal government in response to an inquiry brought by the Left Party ( Die Linke ) in the Bundestag, and reported by Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) . In 2024 a total of about 20,100 people were deported from Germany. The repatriations, carried out from January to March, took place under the previous federal government. But the conservative Christian Democrat and Christian Socialist (CDU/CSU) parties have announced ambitious plans to carry out even more repatriations going forward. Why is Germany carrying out more deportations The increase in deportations carried out in Germany comes in part as the effect of the Repatriation Act ( Rückführungsverbesserungsgesetz ), which came into force on February 27th, 2024. Proponents of the law said it was aimed at tightening and enforcing deportation rules for people who had been convicted of criminal offences, but it also grants authorities more power to deport asylum seekers who had not committed offences. The law also extended the amount of time people could be detained and granted police more power to search their accommodation and smartphones. 'Dublin transfers' People were most frequently deported to Turkey, Georgia, France, Spain and Serbia. A total of 157 people were deported to Iraq, and five to Iran. According to the government report, around 1,700 of the deportations were so-called "Dublin transfers" . According to EU immigration rules, refugees must apply for asylum in the EU country where they first set foot on European territory. So when asylum seekers enter the country on land by first crossing through neighbouring countries, Germany can send them back to the first EU country where they were registered. READ ALSO: EU paves way for states to set up controversial return hubs for migrants Advertisement High costs and 'brutal' procedures Conservative leaders argue that repatriations save Germany money and resources that would be spent on social benefits for new arrivals, but the deportation process itself is also expensive. According to the government report, more than a third of the deportations took place with expensive charter flights. Most other deportees were sent on pre-scheduled flights. In total 5,216 deportations were carried out by air, 913 by land and 22 by sea. Collective deportations to Pakistan were particularly expensive and time-consuming. The costs for this amounted to €462,000. Similarly, the costs for deportation flights to Ethiopia amounted to €418,000, and deportation flights to Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon totalled €380,000. For many of these flights, however, the European border protection agency Frontex bore the costs. The Left Party MP Clara Bünger criticized the way authorities carry out departations. She said she was aware of several cases in which the police acted "brutally and without any empathy". "We are talking about families being torn apart ice-cold or about sick people being literally kidnapped from the hospital, and carted directly from there to the deportation flight," Bünger told RND .
Local Germany
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
Far-right attacks on migrants doubled in Berlin last year
Berlin saw a dramatic increase in right-wing motivated attacks on asylum seekers and refugee shelters last year. Data from German authorities, shared in response to an inquiry from two Green party politicians, showed that 77 assaults on asylum seekers and refugee centres were recorded in the capital city in 2024 – more than twice as many as the year before. The increase in attacks on refugees in Berlin comes as one of several worrying examples showing how right-wing extremism appears to be increasing across the country. Meanwhile German political leaders (including those set to lead the country's next government) have pushed for tightening the country's borders and immigration policies. Citing official figures, The Guardian reported that as a result of the attacks 34 people were treated in hospitals, including 16 women, 14 men, two girls and two males of unknown age. Thirty-seven suspects had been identified, of which 11 were known to police. Jian Omar, one of the Green party deputies who had brought forth the inquiry, called the report an 'alarm bell'. One brutal attack was seen in the town of Stahnsdorf, near Potsdam, where seven perpetrators tried to forcefully enter a refugee shelter. Confronted by a security guard, they reportedly beat him and left him unconscious. Clara Bünger, an MP for the Left party, told The Guardian that "the number of insults, threats and attacks against refugees has been worryingly high for years", adding that anti-migrant rhetoric from both far-right and mainstream parties in Germany has been fuelling the violence. READ ALSO: Germany's far right targets greater influence in new parliament What do the statistics show? Last year saw around a 17 percent jump in crimes with a far-right motive, with 33,963 offences including 1,136 violent attacks reported as of November. Total figures for the year, including stats from December, are to be released soon. In contrast to the two-fold increase in attacks on refugees in Berlin, however, federal statistics suggest the number of crimes against refugees across the country were actually down in 2024 (at 1,905) compared to 2023 when the number of crimes spiked to 2,488. Meanwhile the number of crimes against refugee shelters rose slightly. Advertisement A look at crime statistics broadly does show that attacks motivated by right-wing extremism appear to be on the rise. Last year, Germany's criminal police (BKA) reported the highest number of politically motivated crimes since records began in 2001, and the majority of political crimes were classified as having a right-wing extremist motive. In 2023, a total of 714 people were recorded as being injured by right-wing extremist violence. READ ALSO: Which types of crime are rising and falling in Germany? How has the number of incoming asylum seekers developed? Berlin is home to around 45,000 registered refugees currently, including those in both official reception centres and additional emergency shelters which were set-up in recent years. The state office for refugee affairs (LAF) has recently reported a sharp decline in new arrivals in Berlin. A total of 1,761 asylum-seekers came to the German capital in the first two months of this year, which was down around a third compared to one year prior. In Germany overall, the numbers of new asylum seekers are down. The Federal Centre for Political Education (BPD) reported that 14,920 new asylum seekers arrived in the country in January this year – well below the nearly 26,376 reported in January of 2024 or the 29,072 in the same month one year before. Advertisement A corresponding drop was recorded across the European Union. Most arrivals in Berlin came from Vietnam, Moldova, Afghanistan, Turkey and Syria. Ukrainians are exempt from the standard asylum-seeking process following the Russia's full-scale invasion of their country. But the number of Ukrainians that arrived in Berlin in January and February was also down this year compared with 2024.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Quartet face deportation from Germany after pro-Palestinian violence
Three EU citizens and an American are facing expulsion from Germany after participating in pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin which turned violent. The Berlin State Office for Immigration (LEA) issued deportation orders against them in March "in connection with the incidents at the Free University of Berlin (FU) on October 17, 2024," Berlin's state government stated in response to a dpa inquiry. The individuals, two Irish nationals, a Polish citizen, and an American, are challenging the decision in the Berlin courts. They have filed lawsuits and are seeking an interim ruling to suspend the orders. According to a court spokesman, it is unclear when judges will decide. "As long as there is no decision on the urgent application, they are not required to leave," the spokesman explained. The Berlin state government justified its decision by referring to events last October. Masked individuals broke into a university building, threatening staff with axes, saws, crowbars, and batons. The university estimated the damage at over €100,000 ($108.600). A "violent and masked group" caused "significant property damage," including "graffiti related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," as well as other criminal acts, according to the state government. Criminal investigations are ongoing. Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner defended the possible deportation of the individuals, calling it "right and necessary" in comments to the newspaper Welt. But German lawmaker Clara Bünger of the Left party criticized the approach. "Under Kai Wegner's leadership, the state of Berlin is attacking freedom of assembly and expression," she said.
