Anti-Semitism commissioner to be given more staff

Parliament - Anti-Semitism commissioner to be given more staff

The state government and the parliamentary groups of the Greens, CDU, SPD and FDP want to provide the office of the anti-Semitism commissioner with more staff and expand its remit. In a joint motion in the state parliament on Wednesday, the four parliamentary groups called for the commissioner to be given more money and more staff. In addition, the tasks of the commissioner, currently Michael Blume, should in future not only include the fight against anti-Semitism, but also the promotion of Jewish life in Baden-Württemberg. Furthermore, the four parliamentary groups called for an increase in funding for the security of Jewish institutions in the state.

The state government will add Jewish life to the official designation, said Florian Hassler, State Secretary in the State Ministry on Wednesday in the state parliament. "We would also like to increase the commissioner's funding again," said Hassler. This should happen as early as 2024. The government is also planning to apply for additional posts for the Commissioner's office.

Green parliamentary group leader Andreas Schwarz said that every effort was being made to protect Jewish life in the best possible way. "Now we are taking further action." CDU parliamentary group leader Manuel Hagel called the upgrading of the commissioner "a strong signal in these times". The resolutions were intended to "not only wipe away the ugly stains of anti-Semitism, but to dry them up completely", said SPD parliamentary group leader Andreas Stoch. "Our experience that Jewish life enriches our country makes it necessary not only to combat anti-Semitism, but also to promote Jewish life in our country," said FDP parliamentary group leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke.

The AfD accused the other parliamentary groups of not tackling the root of the problem, but only masking the symptoms. "Increasing the number of jobs for Mr. Blume is not a suitable means of stopping Islamist hate preachers," said parliamentary group leader Anton Baron.

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1. The decision to provide more staff and expand the remit of the anti-Semitism commissioner was made by the state government and the parliamentary groups of the Greens, CDU, SPD, and FDP in the state parliament.
2. Michael Blume, currently the anti-Semitism commissioner, will have expanded responsibilities in the future, including the promotion of Jewish life in Baden-Württemberg, as called for by the four parliamentary groups.
3. In the state government, State Secretary Florian Hassler announced plans to increase funding for the commissioner's office and add Jewish life to its official designation, with these changes planned for 2024.
4. The parliamentary groups of the Greens, CDU, SPD, and FDP commended the decision to upgrade the commissioner's role, with Green leader Andreas Schwarz calling it a significant step towards protecting Jewish life.
5. The opposition AfD party criticized the decision, with parliamentary group leader Anton Baron stating that increasing the number of jobs for Commissioner Blume would not effectively combat the root causes of Islamist hate speech.

Source: www.stern.de