The Strategist

Politics With Human Face?



07/20/2015 - 15:46



Bundestag MPs suggest allowing refugees children with fluent German to stay in Germany. This initiative was made by the head of the parliamentary faction of the Social Democratic Party, a member of the ruling coalition. The debate about a possible revision of immigration legislation flared with renewed vigor after a video with Chancellor Angela Merkel, comforting crying girl - a refugee from Lebanon - gained great popularity in the German Internet space.



swiss-image.ch/Photo by Sebastian Derungs
swiss-image.ch/Photo by Sebastian Derungs
Video "Angela Merkel Tells Teenager She Can't Stay in Germany" hit the net last week, scored several million views. The video was filmed in the city of Rostock during a meeting with the senior chancellor - an event that seemed ordinary until a refugee girl has got the microphone. Smiling and speaking German, the 14-year-old girl told: her name is Reem, she is Palestinian, came to Germany from Lebanon four years ago with her family. She like living in Germany and studies good, but her future - a sore point. Her father used to work as a welder, but couldn’t have found a job in Germany - albeit the girl goes to school, her family hasn’t got the residence permit yet, and without it, it is impossible to get a job. Moreover, the family is on the verge of deportation back to Lebanon.

- Lebanon is not in a state of civil war - neatly parried Merkel.- And we cannot host everyone here in Germany, because there are those who flee from regions affected by war, and thousands and thousands of people live in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. We cannot say to everyone: "Come. And you, Africa, also come. And you too. The ten-minute discussion with Reem ends up with Chancellor patting and comforting the girl suddenly burst into tears, yet not refusing her own words.

Although reporters quickly found out that Reem’s family can easily stay in the country, the video provoked a new wave of discussions on the reform of immigration legislation. The debate was joined by employers who need skilled labor, but often cannot use migrant labor, and the Social Democrats, partners in the ruling coalition of conservatives led by Angela Merkel.

The head of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thomas Oppermann, even demanded to ban expelling all the children fluent in German (just like Reem).
- Something is wrong if we, on the one hand, are in the need for young professionals, and on the other -ourselves are threatening young refugees, who are able to fully integrate into society, with expulsion - he said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag.
- Therefore, I want the law on migrants to make it quick and clear whether migrants can stay in Germany or not. We should not scare young people ready to work and integrate.

Conservative circles reminds that in the early July, Bundestag has already adopt a streamlined legislation in this area, enabling faster deny those who waits in vain for shelter, and, conversely, to issue permits to those who speaks German. It is assumed that this opportunity will benefit about 125 thousand of foreigners that have long been living in Germany. In total for 2014, more than 200 thousand applications for asylum was filed in Germany, creating a huge backlog.

The situation of refugees, arriving daily in the EU across the Mediterranean Sea, is getting out of control. In order not to let hundreds of migrants, storming international trains and making their way along the mountain paths, break in, France and Switzerland resumed border controls with Italy. Hungarian government is even more decisive: they launched a campaign explaining the immigrants that they are not welcome in the country, and demanded the return of illegal immigrants’ detention procedure at the border.

source: dw.de