VANCOUVER, CANADA – Germany says it is considering deporting Afghan refugees after a man of Afghan origin killed a police officer and injured several others with a knife in Mannheim. The German interior minister has announced that the government is considering the deportation of Afghan citizens who pose a threat to the national security of Germany.
Nancy Faeser, Germany’s interior minister, stated on Tuesday, June 4, “Individuals who are considered a potential threat to Germany’s security must be deported swiftly. This includes sending people to Afghanistan and Syria.”
Faeser emphasized that Germany’s security interests clearly outweigh the interests of those affected by this policy.
Last Friday, a young man originally from Afghanistan attacked with a knife a gathering “Pax Europa,” a far-right group that opposes Islam in Europe. Seven people including police officers were injured, one of whom later succumbed to his injuries.
The assailant was a resident of Heppenheim, a 25-year-old man born in Afghanistan, who has lived in Germany since he was 15.
The attack has prompted some German officials to call for the deportation of refugees. The German newspaper Bild reported that the Social Democratic Party and several other parties advocate for the return of “foreign criminals” like Sulaiman Ataei, the knife-wielding attacker, and other dangerous individuals to their home countries, even if these countries are not considered safe.
According to Bild, due to the lack of contact between Germany and the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Germany is negotiating with neighbouring countries to facilitate the transfer of deported individuals to Afghanistan.
