Gatherings or social events - The AfD party alleges unfair treatment in the Berlin state parliament.
Members of the AfD faction in the Berlin House of Representatives believe they're being hampered in their parliamentary duties. Their parliamentary manager, Ronald Gläser, brought this up on Thursday, referencing the refusal of other factions to discuss an AfD-proposed "urgency motion" in the plenary session.
This motion requests that the Senate advocate, at the federal level, for the deportation of denied asylum seekers and serious criminals, regardless of whether or not their home country is considered a safe country of origin. Additionally, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution should increase its focus on Islamism and "foreign-related extremism" upon the request of the AfD, and the police should be better equipped.
The AfD submitted this motion at the last minute, citing reasons like the recent stabbing attack on a police officer in Mannheim, allegedly perpetrated by a man from Afghanistan. Interior politician for the AfD, Karsten Woldäit, is upset that the motion won't be discussed. He said to journalists, "This is a matter that affects people and drives this country. It's callous and tasteless to use this murder for political gain."
The other four factions are represented by their parliamentary manager, Heiko Melzer, who explained the rejection of the urgency in the plenary session. "Using this murder to further a political agenda is insensitive and inappropriate," he said. Furthermore, the motion doesn't meet the necessary criteria to be added to the agenda as a matter of urgency. In the vote on this, the CDU, SPD, Greens, and Left voted against the urgency, while the AfD voted in favor.
To put a topic on the agenda in the House of Representatives, the factions must adhere to certain deadlines. If these deadlines aren't met, topics that don't appear on the plenary session's agenda can only be debated if the House of Representatives deems them urgent enough to prioritize.
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- Despite the AfD's claims of unfair treatment in the Berlin House of Representatives, other parties like the CDU and SPD have consistently voted against the AfD's urgency motions, such as the recent request for deportation and increased focus on extremism.
- Ronald Gläser, the parliamentary manager for the AfD in Berlin, expressed disappointment over the House of Representatives' refusal to discuss an urgency motion regarding deportation and protection of the constitution, citing a recent knife attack in Mannheim as a pressing concern.
- In response to the AfD's motion regarding condemning asylum seekers and criminals for deportation, Heiko Melzer, the parliamentary manager for the other parties, argued that politicizing a murder victim for said agenda was insensitive and inappropriate, giving reasons for the motion's rejection.
- As a direct consequence of the AfD's delay in submitting the urgency motion, it missed the necessary deadlines to have the topic discussed in the plenary session, forcing the House of Representatives to decide if the issue was urgent enough to deserve attention.
- The CDU and other parties have historically faced criticism from the AfD for allegedly favoring certain groups, including asylum seekers, and the party's inability to address the issue has created a significant disadvantage for both the AfD in parliament and the citizens who support their views on law and order.