- Each gathered knife equates to one less potential danger.
Following the fatal knife attack in Solingen that claimed three lives, Hamburg's Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) persists in pushing for the removal of criminal Afghan or Syrian individuals back to their homelands. However, executing this plan is proving to be quite complicated. "At present, no European country is sending individuals back to Afghanistan," stated the Senator, nearly three months after proposing such action.
The federal government aims to overcome these challenges. Coordination with transit nations is necessary, and legal matters need to be resolved. German officials are unable to escort deportees back to their home countries.
Grote: Not everyone will lose their head
In early June, following the fatal knife attack in Mannheim that claimed a police officer's life, Grote demanded: "Those who commit serious offenses here should depart the country, even if they are from Afghanistan. In this nation, Germany's security interests surpass the protection interests of the offender."
The situation in Afghanistan can only be partially understood from Hamburg, the Senator said now: "However, we have received indications that not everyone crossing the border will lose their head." It appears that private travel to Afghanistan is on the rise on a larger scale, and Kabul's airport is not entirely deserted. A significant number of Afghans residing in Hamburg are also not refugees.
No new dangerous situation in Hamburg
Since the assault by a Palestinian in Hamburg-Barmbek seven years ago, there has been no knife attack in the Hanseatic city resembling that in Solingen. "We do not have a new threatening situation. We have been living with this abstract high risk of further attacks for years," declared Grote.
Nothing has changed after the Solingen incident. "It has merely materialized, this risk that we have to deal with at all times and are prepared for."
"Emerging knife-carrying culture"
The Senator once more advocated for strengthening the nationwide weapons law. Carrying knives in train stations, trains, and at major events ought to be prohibited. A series of knife attacks, not only in the realm of Islamism, indicates a developing knife-carrying culture.
"One can already identify something like an emerging knife-carrying culture," stated Grote. Since the establishment of the weapons ban zone at Hamburg Central Station on October 1, 2021, over 500 weapons have been confiscated during checks, including 350 knives. "Every knife we collect is one less risk," explained Grote.
CDU: The knives are not the problem
CDU faction leader Dennis Thering deemed the demand for a knife ban a mere distraction from the real issue. "It's not the knives themselves that are the problem, which are already not permitted at public events like in Solingen, but those who use them to seriously harm and kill individuals." The migration policy must be transformed. "We need a sharp asylum turnaround now. Enough!", the opposition leader demanded.
AfD faction leader Dirk Nockemann demanded a "hard turnaround" in migration policy. "Deportations save lives," explained Nockemann. The Hamburg FDP chairwoman Katarina Blume said: "What's essential is that the return of criminals and dangerous individuals is implemented quickly and consistently."
According to Grote, around 1,000 foreigners have been expelled from Hamburg this year. This represents approximately a 30% increase over the previous year and the largest number in seven years. In 2023, around 1,500 people were deported in total.
The number of individuals subject to deportation in Hamburg has recently dropped to around 6,500. 500 of them do not possess a residence permit. Focus has been given to the removal of criminals. So far this year, over 100 have been removed from the country, and it is expected that around 200 will be deported altogether this year. The number of criminal deportations has remained relatively stable since 2022.
Captured ringleader released
A specific instance highlights the legal and practical challenges encountered during this procedure. On April 9, the police apprehended a suspected leader of a youth gang allegedly responsible for crimes in the Jungfernstieg area. The then 18-year-old Afghan was taken into custody. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has since been reviewing the withdrawal of his protection status. However, the young man, classified as a repeat offender, has since been released, as the Senate announced in early August in response to a minor inquiry from the AfD faction.
Report: Prisoners are not deported despite expulsion orders
An evaluation of the Hamburg Resocialization and Victim Support Act recently found, according to the CDU faction, that not even prisoners for whom an expulsion order is in place at the time of their release are actually deported. The immigration authority often acts too late, and necessary documents are missing.
The interior authority contradicted this portrayal. "A large number of deportations take place directly from prison," explained press spokesman Daniel Schaefer. So far this year, 63 criminals have been deported from prison. In around 30 other cases, the return is currently being prepared.
The federal government is actively trying to resolve the legal matters and coordinate with transit nations to facilitate the removal of criminal individuals back to their homelands. Grote acknowledged that not all individuals who cross the border face severe consequences in Afghanistan.
