Latest news with #JoachimHerrmann
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Germany wants to allow Syrian refugees to visit home
The German government wants to allow Syrian refugees to travel back to their home country for a limited time without losing their protection status in Germany , a spokeswoman of the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. Legally, refugees can lose their asylum protection status if they visit their home country which they left in fear of persecution. Since the fall of Syrian autocrat Bashar Assad last December, Berlin has restarted diplomatic relations with Syriaand reopened its embassy in Damascus. Why is Germany making this proposal? Under the proposal, Syrians with refugee status in Germany would be allowed to go back to their home country for a period of four weeks, or two separate two-week periods. The aim of the proposal is to enable Syrians to make the decision to return voluntarily, a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said. "To do this, people from Syria must be able to see for themselves - for example, whether [their] houses are still standing, whether their relatives are still alive and so on." Such visits are the prerequisite for enabling large numbers of refugees to return to their country, if the situation in Syria further stabilizes, the spokeswoman added. The visits should be only permitted "under certain strict conditions" and if they serve to "prepare for a permanent return" to Syria. Those who wish to use this exception would have to register their visits with the relevant immigration authorities , the spokeswoman said. CSU rejects proposal Germany's Christian Socialist Union (CSU) and its Bavarian State interior minister however reject the proposal. Bavarian State's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann described the proposed visits as "vacation trips under the guise of fact-finding trips." Herrmann argued against "uncontrolled travel" between Germany and Syria. Instead, he favored a coordinated solution within Europe rather than "national solo efforts." The CSU, which won the majority of votes in Germany's February federal election along with its partner the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is set to take over the Federal Ministry of the Interior in the upcoming government. The union plans to significantly tighten migration policies . The next day after Assad's December ouster, German authorities froze asylum proceedings from Syrian citizens, alongside several other European countries. More than 1 million Syrians, many of whom fled their homeland during the bloody civil war, live in Germany.
Bloomberg
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Merz Allies Urge End to German Cannabis Legalization: Augsburger
Two senior members of the German conservative CDU/CSU bloc led by Friedrich Merz are demanding a reversal of the legalization of cannabis last year by the outgoing Socialist SPD-led 'traffic light' coalition, the Augsburger Allgemeine reported, a reminder of a divisive issue that could sour talks about a new coalition government. 'We want to reverse the mistake of the 'traffic light' and ban cannabis again,' Bavarian Health Minister Joachim Herrmann told the newspaper. The southern region's Health Minister Judith Gerlach also criticized the legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes, saying the measure should be 'withdrawn quickly and completely,' the paper reported.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Munich police blame 'chaos' for false statements about attack suspect
Police in Munich on Friday sought to justify why false information was given the public about the perpetrator of the car attack by pointing to the "chaos" of the initial investigation. Just hours after the man deliberately rammed his car into a trade union rally in central Munich, senior officials such as Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann made several inaccurate statements about the Afghan suspect's legal status in Germany. Christian Huber of Munich police headquarters told journalists at a press conference on Friday that during the "chaos phase" of the investigation in the immediate aftermath of the attack, a lot of information had been "virulently" circulated. "It takes a certain amount of time to get a picture [of what happened]," Huber said, arguing that it is understandable that people could make mistakes. Officials falsely stated that the man had a criminal record for shoplifting. In fact, the man worked in retail security and had been cited as a witness and complainant in a number of such cases. People evidently saw his name attached to those court cases and, without further checks, incorrectly assumed that he was a defendant - rather than a police witness - in these cases, Huber said. He said that while the information came from "police files," it is unclear to him who had communicated with whom and how. Herrmann and others also falsely suggested that the man, whose asylum application had been rejected, had been obliged to leave Germany and had only stayed because authorities had been unable to deport him to Afghanistan. Authorities now say he obtained valid residency and work permits after his asylum application was rejected.
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
German terror police probe Munich car attack that injured 30 people as Mini Cooper drove into crowd
Police in Germany have arrested an Afghan migrant after a car drove into a union demonstration in central Munich on Thursday, injuring at least 30 people, including children. Authorities said the incident was believed to be an attack. At least two people were left fighting for their lives after the Mini Cooper was driven into a protest organised by trade union Verdi, attended by an estimated 2,500 strikers and supporters, including family members. Detectives raided the home of the suspect, a 24-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker, who is being questioned. The general prosecutor's office in Munich has identified him as Farhad Noori, according to the Reuters news agency. Born in Kabul in 2001, he first arrived in Germany from Afghanistan at the end of 2016, Der Spiegel reported. Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said his asylum application had been rejected, but he had not been forced to leave due to security concerns in Afghanistan. A series of attacks involving immigrants in recent months have pushed migration to the forefront of the campaign for Germany's 23 February election. The attack took place about a mile away from the venue of the Munich Security Conference which begins on Friday, with US vice-president JD Vance and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky due to arrive in the city on Thursday. Did you witness the incident or do you know anyone who did? Contact Police fired a shot at the car after it weaved between the police vehicles tailing the demonstration and drove into the crowd. Witnesses told of hearing an 'engine roar' and 'wheels spinning', with images showing dozens of police surrounding a smashed-up Mini Cooper as debris was strewn across the street in the wake of the crash. German chancellor Olaf Scholz said 'the perpetrator must be punished and he must leave the country'. Bavarian governor Markus Soder said the incident was 'suspected to be an attack'. Investigations are being carried out by the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism, state minister Georg Eisenreich added. Although eyewitnesses told Bild that two men were seen in the Mini, police said they 'cannot confirm' whether more than one person was involved. Udo Kunte told Merkur, a local newspaper: 'Suddenly there was an engine roar behind us, wheels spinning and then there was just a clattering.' Another demonstrator told Bayerischer Rundfunk, a Munich-based public radio station: "I was in the demonstration and saw that a man was lying under the car. Then I tried to open the door, but it was locked." Munich's mayor Dieter Reiter told Bild: "The police chief has just informed me that a vehicle drove into a group of people and unfortunately many people were injured, including children. I am deeply shocked. My thoughts are with the injured." The alleged attacker was already known to police for drug-related offences and shoplifting, Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann told reporters. Verdi, Germany's second largest trade union with around 1.9 million members, had called a strike for childcare workers to call for better wages and working conditions. Frank Werneke, the union's chair, told The Independent in a statement that they are 'deeply dismayed and shocked' by the incident. ' This is a difficult moment for all colleagues. We unions stand for solidarity, especially in such a dark hour.' The strike had been called after employers failed to submit a final offer in January negotiations. The union promised to 'noticeably increase the pressure until the second round of negotiations on February 17th and 18th'. Journalist Sandra Demmelhuber wrote in a post on X: 'A person was lying on the street and a young man was taken away by the police. People were sitting on the ground, crying and shaking. Details still unclear.' Traffic disruptions are expected around the scene and police have asked people to avoid the area so emergency services can carry out their work. Authorities set up a collection point for witness statements and a care centre for those psychologically impacted by the suspected attack. Just three weeks ago, a two-year-old boy and a man were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, also in Bavaria. An Afghan whose asylum application was rejected was the suspect in that attack, which propelled migration to the centre of the German election campaign. The Aschaffenburg attack followed knife attacks in Mannheim and in Solingen last year in which the suspects were immigrants from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively – in the latter case, also a rejected asylum seeker who was supposed to have left the country. In the December Christmas market car ramming in Magdeburg, the suspect was a Saudi doctor who previously had come to various regional authorities' attention.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Driver ploughs into Munich crowd in 'suspected attack,' injuring 30
A driver crashed his car into a trade union march making its way through the streets of Munich in what authorities believe was a deliberate attack late on Thursday morning. Thirty people were injured, police said later, up from initial estimates. Some 1,500 people took part in the demonstration organized by Germany's verdi trade union, the police said. The suspected attacker, who has been identified as a 24-year-old Afghan citizen, was quickly captured by police officers who had been accompanying the demonstration near Stiglmaierplatz in central Munich, according to a senior Munich police official, Christian Huber. Officers fired at least one shot at the suspect before managing to arrest him, according to police and witnesses. The driver sped past a police vehicle that was accompanying the rear of the demonstration and crashed into the crowd, according to Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. Some of those struck suffered life-threatening injuries, Herrmann said. Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter said he had been informed that children are among those injured. "I am deeply shocked," Reiter said. "My thoughts are with the injured." "A serious attack has taken place in Munich," said Bavarian state Premier Markus Söder in a post on X made after visiting the scene of the crash. Based on reports from police officers accompanying the rally, as well as other witnesses, "we must assume that it was not an accident, but that he acted deliberately," Hermann said. He added that authorities do not currently believe that the suspect had accomplices. He credited police officers who were accompanying the march with reacting quickly to prevent further possible injuries. Following the attack, police raided a flat in the Munich district of Solln where the suspect is believed to have lived, dpa has learned. Police and prosecutors declined to immediately comment on the search. Sources also told dpa that the suspect is believed to have shared a post online that expressed Islamist views at some point before the attack. Suspect arrived in Germany in 2016 Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said the Afghan driver who crashed his car into the trade union march had a valid residence permit and a work permit. "This means that the perpetrator's residence was absolutely legal up to the present day according to the current state of knowledge," Herrmann told dpa. Hermann also said that the man had not been found guilty of shoplifting, though this had been stated shortly after the attack that took place earlier on Thursday morning. The man, 24, came to Germany at the end of 2016 as an unaccompanied minor refugee. His asylum procedure was finalised in 2020 with a rejection notice and an order to leave the country. However, Munich then issued a toleration notice in April 2021 and a residence permit in October 2021. The man attended school and completed vocational training. "He then worked as a shop detective for two security companies," Hermann said, adding that he had been involved in this capacity in several shoplifting trials, hence the earlier misunderstanding. "He was not a suspect himself, but a witness," Herrmann said. Munich had not made a decision on extending his residence permit, meaning it remained valid. State premier Markus Söder also said the man had not come to the attention of the police, as had been earlier stated. "The perpetrator himself has probably been rather inconspicuous so far. So there are no corresponding indications. He was not obliged to leave the country." The man's application for asylum had been rejected but Munich had issued a residence permit and the young man was also employed. "And previous extremist backgrounds are not so easily recognisable at first glance," Söder said, calling for investigations to determine the reason for this terrible and horrific act. Trade union 'shocked' by attack on rally The head of the German trade union verdi, which had called the demonstration as part of a nationwide two-day strike by public-sector workers amid collective bargaining talks, said the union is "deeply saddened and shocked" by the attack. "Our thoughts are with the innocent victims and injured, as well as their relatives," verdi chairman Frank Werneke said. According to police, it remains unclear whether the trade union rally was deliberately chosen as the target in the suspected attack or whether the crowd was chosen at random. German politicians vow 'tough' response Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a tough response to the attack, saying on Thursday afternoon that "this perpetrator cannot count on any leniency. He must be punished and he must leave the country." Scholz also expressed his deep sorrow, expressed his thoughts for those injured and their families and spoke of a "terrible attack." "It must be very clear that the judiciary will take tough action against this perpetrator with all the means at its disposal," said Scholz. "Anyone who commits crimes in Germany will not only be severely punished and sent to prison, but must also expect that they will not be able to continue their stay in Germany." The attack immediately resonated in the political campaigns ahead of Germany's upcoming February 23 election, in which migration policy and issues of attacks which police suspect were committed by asylum-seekers have already been a major theme. German conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become the next chancellor, swiftly called for stronger security measures in the wake of the suspected attack. "Everyone in our country must feel safe again. Something has to change in Germany," the leader of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), wrote on X. German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck spoke out in favour of a "comprehensive security offensive" to improve law enforcement cooperation and close gaps in policing. Habeck, who is currently leading the election campaign for Germany's Green Party, said the next government must pass needed new laws to improve security. "I am horrified by this senseless act," Habeck said in a post on X. Soccer team sends good wishes Football team FC Bayern said it was devastated to hear of the incident in Munich's city centre and expressed its deepest sympathies to those affected and their families in a statement. Herbert Hainer, the team's president, said, "Munich is our home city, and today our home was deeply shocked. The thoughts of the FC Bayern family are with those affected and their loved ones. We sincerely wish them all a speedy recovery and that the number of injured does not rise."
