Asylum dispute: Habeck rejects party youth proposals
A number of younger delegates at the Greens' national party conference have voiced massive criticism of the coalition's asylum policy. "It is dishonest to talk about limits when the world is on fire," said Vasili Franco, a member of the Berlin House of Representatives, in the evening in Karlsruhe.
Katharina Stolla, Chairwoman of the Green Youth, warned: "If you run after the right, you will stumble." The co-chair of the youth organization added: "There is no reason for further tightening of asylum laws." The critics of government policy were loudly cheered.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck countered this. The desire to "be on the right side" on this issue should not be the guiding principle. He warned: "A party conference of a governing party is not a game." The proposals of the Green Youth were in fact "a vote of no confidence in disguise" and an indirect call to leave the "traffic light" government of SPD, Greens and FDP.
Habeck warned that the Greens were tying themselves down here. The Green Youth motion stated that neither the minister nor the parliamentary groups in the federal or state governments should agree to further tightening of asylum laws - specifically, for example, "more restrictive regulations for repatriations, the reduction of social benefits for refugees, the lowering of protection standards, an expansion of safe countries of origin, fast-track procedures at external borders, the accommodation of refugees in external border camps and the return of refugees to supposedly safe third countries".
Consultation on draft legislation next Thursday
Three and a half weeks ago, Green Party politicians Ricarda Lang and Winfried Kretschmann wrote in a joint guest article for the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper on the subject of migration to Germany: "When capacities reach their limits - as they are now - the numbers must also fall." The party chairwoman and the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg emphasized that, despite all due humanity, "control and repatriation are part of the reality of an immigration country like Germany." Next Thursday, the Bundestag is to discuss a draft bill from the federal government at first reading, which aims to "adapt legal regulations that prevent or at least make deportation measures more difficult".
"Let's not adopt a compromise with conservative forces here at the party conference," demanded Sophia Pott from Lübeck. Earlier, co-party leader Omid Nouripour had pointed out to the delegates that the Greens, as a governing party, would be judged on whether or not they delivered solutions.
The fact that there were six different motions to change the title of the resolution proposed by the Federal Executive Committee alone shows just how bitter the debate on this topic is in the party: "Humanity and order: for a tackling, pragmatic and human rights-based asylum and migration policy", a number of members were bothered by the term "order". One proposed amendment included the slogan "No human being is illegal".
- Despite the strong criticism from the Green Youth towards the coalition's asylum policy, Robert Habeck, the Federal Economics Minister, argued that the party conference is not a platform for political games and the youth's proposals against tightening asylum laws could be perceived as a vote of no confidence in the "traffic light" government.
- In a joint article for the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper, Green Party politicians Ricarda Lang and Winfried Kretschmann advocated for controlling and repatriation as necessary components in an immigration country like Germany, and next Thursday, the Bundestag will discuss a draft bill aiming to make deportation measures easier.
- As the debate on asylum and migration policy is highly contentious within the Green Party, various motions were proposed to change the title of the resolution, including one that emphasized "No human being is illegal."
Source: www.dpa.com
