German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has vowed to step up deportations following the deadly mass stabbing in Solingen, western Germany.
The attack, in which a 26-year-old suspected Islamic State (IS) member from Syria is accused of killing three people, has fuelled political tensions over asylum and deportation rules ahead of three state elections next month.
The militant Islamist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred on Friday during a festival celebrating Solingen’s 650-year history.
Alongside the three killed, eight others were injured, some seriously.
Visiting Solingen on Monday, German Chancellor Scholz vowed to intensify deportations.
“We will have to do everything we can to ensure that those who cannot and are not allowed to stay in Germany are repatriated and deported,” Scholz told reporters in the western city, where he laid a flower at the scene of the crime.
He added: “This was terrorism, terrorism against us all.”
Scholz also said that deportations had increased by about two-thirds compared to 2021 levels, but added, “That is no reason for us to sit back and relax,” highlighting that the government was exploring legal and practical ways to further boost the numbers.
The militant Islamist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred on Friday during a festival celebrating Solingen’s 650-year history.
Alongside the three killed, eight others were injured, some seriously.
Visiting Solingen on Monday, German Chancellor Scholz vowed to intensify deportations.
“We will have to do everything we can to ensure that those who cannot and are not allowed to stay in Germany are repatriated and deported,” Scholz told reporters in the western city, where he laid a flower at the scene of the crime.
He added: “This was terrorism, terrorism against us all.”
Scholz also said that deportations had increased by about two-thirds compared to 2021 levels, but added, “That is no reason for us to sit back and relax,” highlighting that the government was exploring legal and practical ways to further boost the numbers.
Emboldening the far-right
The Friday’s attack has emboldened the far-right opposition in Germany and stoked criticism of the current coalition government’s handling of migration.
According to Reuters, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which campaigns for a crackdown on migration, is leading in the polls in Saxony and Thuringia, where state elections are set for Sunday, and in Brandenburg, which has its election on September 22.
The AfD seized on the attack in its election campaign, with Thuringia’s leading candidate for the party, Björn Höcke, pitching to voters the choice of “Höcke or Solingen.”
According to German media, authorities had planned to deport the suspect in Friday’s attack to Bulgaria last year under European Union asylum rules.
However, the deportation was unsuccessful because the man had not been at his refugee accommodation when authorities tried to carry out the measure.
A government spokesperson said the deportation plan had “failed in practice” rather than on any legal basis.
The Friday’s attack has emboldened the far-right opposition in Germany and stoked criticism of the current coalition government’s handling of migration.
According to Reuters, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which campaigns for a crackdown on migration, is leading in the polls in Saxony and Thuringia, where state elections are set for Sunday, and in Brandenburg, which has its election on September 22.
The AfD seized on the attack in its election campaign, with Thuringia’s leading candidate for the party, Björn Höcke, pitching to voters the choice of “Höcke or Solingen.”
According to German media, authorities had planned to deport the suspect in Friday’s attack to Bulgaria last year under European Union asylum rules.
However, the deportation was unsuccessful because the man had not been at his refugee accommodation when authorities tried to carry out the measure.
A government spokesperson said the deportation plan had “failed in practice” rather than on any legal basis.
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