SPD members express dissent against their party's asylum policy.
A large number of Social Democrat party members have written an open letter expressing their concern over the party's new asylum policy, which they believe promotes exclusion and discrimination. They criticize the leadership for using a "discourse of exclusion and stigmatization," which has led to proposals to reject refugees at the borders and arbitrarily suspect an entire group of terrorism.
These actions, according to the signatories, are dangerous for democracy and society and they urge the party to return to its core values of freedom, justice, solidarity, and human dignity. They argue that the anti-human narratives and positions of right-wing parties should not be adopted, as this only helps to normalize such views.
In response to a recent Islamist-motivated attack, the government introduced a "security package" that includes tighter asylum laws, more border controls, and deportations to Syria and Afghanistan. The letter's signatories question the legality of many of these measures and call for a humane asylum policy that respects European law and international solidarity.
The letter was signed by numerous politicians and party members, including Berlin's Integration Senator Cansel Kiziltepe and the chairwoman of the SPD's Basic Values Commission, Gesine Schwan. They argue that political decisions should be guided by core values, not by supposed polls or moods.
Entire group wrongly accused of terrorism
The leadership of the Social Democrats has been accused of promoting a "discourse of exclusion and stigmatization" by several party members. This discourse has led to proposals to reject refugees at the borders and label an entire group as suspects of terrorism without proper evidence.
After a recent Islamist-motivated attack, the government introduced a "security package" that includes tighter asylum laws, more border controls, and deportations to Syria and Afghanistan. The signatories of the letter believe that many of these measures are not legal and call for a more humane asylum policy that respects European law and international solidarity.
The letter was signed by numerous politicians and party members, including Berlin's Integration Senator Cansel Kiziltepe and the chairwoman of the SPD's Basic Values Commission, Gesine Schwan. They argue that political decisions should be guided by core values, not by supposed polls or moods.
The critique from Social Democrat party members includes accusations towards The Court of Justice, as they believe it should intervene and challenge the legality of the government's proposed measures, such as labeling an entire group as terrorism suspects without sufficient evidence. Furthermore, these party members call for The Court of Justice to uphold human rights and European law in its rulings related to asylum policies.
