Germany's coalition government has agreed to strengthen security and asylum policies after a fatal stabbing attack associated with Daesh, which has sparked far-right opposition and criticism of Berlin's migration policy approach. The attack, which occurred during a festival celebrating Solingen's 650th anniversary, resulted in three deaths and eight injuries. This incident has intensified political debates over asylum and deportation rules, especially with the state elections approaching next month, and the suspect being a Syrian failed asylum seeker.
The new measures include stricter gun control regulations, such as more stringent ownership rules, a complete ban on switchblades, and an absolute prohibition on carrying knives at public events like folk festivals, sporting events, and trade fairs. Federal law enforcement officers will now be permitted to use Tasers, and background checks for weapon permits will involve new federal agencies to prevent extremists from acquiring weapons.
Additionally, Berlin will enhance asylum and residency laws and procedures, including lowering the threshold for 'severe deportation' in cases where the deportee has committed a weapon-related or dangerous crime. The criteria for excluding individuals from asylum or refugee status will be tightened, with increased penalties for serious crimes, including those committed by youth offenders. Asylum seekers will be denied benefits in Germany if they have claims in other European countries, and refugees who return to their home countries without valid reasons may lose their protection status, according to the document. This rule does not apply to Ukrainian refugees.
The government plans to advocate for reforms to the Common European Asylum System, aiming to simplify transfers and deportations, and intends to facilitate the deportation of individuals who have committed serious crimes or pose terrorist threats to Afghanistan and Syria. The package also includes measures to combat 'violent Islamism', such as allowing law enforcement to use biometric data from publicly accessible online sources for facial recognition to identify suspects. The government will also enhance the domestic intelligence agency's financial investigation powers and continue to ban Islamist organizations, as outlined in the government document detailing the measures.
