Federal government wants to facilitate deportations after terror glorification
The glorification of terrorist acts through statements, for instance on the Internet, "fosters a climate of violence, which can inspire extremists to commit new acts of violence," explained Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) the legislative amendment. Her ministry is responding to hate postings on the net following the Hamas attack on Israel or the lethal knife attack on a policeman in Mannheim.
The Minister criticized that the Hamas attack had been "despicably celebrated" on social media. Similarly, the knife attack on the young policeman in Mannheim had been "disgracefully glorified."
"Anyone who does not hold a German passport and glorifies terrorist acts here, they must - if possible - be expelled and deported," Faeser demanded. The Residence Act should be amended as soon as possible for this purpose, she declared. In it, it should be stipulated that in the future, a particularly strong deportation interest will follow from a single approval of terrorist criminal acts.
"It's not about the small click and the brief like," Faeser said. "Instead, it's about really despicable, terrorist content being glorified and posted." She did not believe that there would be delimitation problems for the foreigners' authorities in assessing terrorist glorification.
A criminal court sentence should not be a prerequisite for deportation and expulsion according to the draft. For such cases, a new "group for particularly serious deportation interest" should be created in the law.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had already announced the legislative amendment in a government statement following the attack in Mannheim. Faeser assumed that the amendment would be quickly passed in the Bundestag. She expected "that we will have gone through the summer break by then."
The Greens gave their approval to the planned amendment. "It's a great achievement that persecuted people can find protection in Germany," explained Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens). "But anyone who undermines our liberal order by cheering on terrorism, celebrating heinous murders, forfeits his right to stay." It must apply: "Anyone who glorifies terrorist acts and campaigns for them must leave. Then the state has a particularly serious deportation interest."
- Nancy Faeser (SPD), the Federal Minister of the Interior, explained that the glorification of terrorist acts fosters a climate of violence and inspires extremists to commit new acts.
- Faeser criticized the despicable celebration of the Hamas attack on Israel and the disgraceful glorification of the knife attack on a policeman in Mannheim on social media.
- Faeser demanded that anyone who glorifies terrorist acts and does not hold a German passport be expelled and deported, and proposed an amendment to the Residence Act to facilitate this.
- Faeser clarified that the focus is not on small online interactions but on terrorist content being glorified and posted online, and she does not anticipate difficulties for foreigners' authorities in assessing such cases.
- The draft legislation suggests that a new group for particularly serious deportation interest should be created in law, and a criminal court sentence should not be a prerequisite for deportation or expulsion.
- Following the attack in Mannheim, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced the legislative amendment, which the Greens have given their approval to, with Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) stating that anyone who glorifies terrorist acts and undermines the liberal order forfeits their right to remain in Germany.
