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The Stupidity of 'Asylum Critics' Will Lead Germany Into Disaster






There are moments in which you might watch stupidity directly lead to damage.
Like right now, in this moment.
When you listen to leading Union politicians debate today, you might think Germany is doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. The politicians are obviously not willing to learn from our history.
Instead of giving refugees arriving in Germany a fair chance to settle, allowing them to make a respectable adjustment into work and education, more and more self-declared experts are taking the opportunity to point fingers.
The CDU (Christian Democratic Union) in Schleswig-Holstein is appealing for refugees to demonstrate an understanding of basic German law before they are granted the right to stay in Germany. "Those individuals who do not desire to integrate, we do not desire to support financially," says party leader Daniel Günther.
Bavaria's Finance Minister Markus Söder (CSU) audaciously urges that the constitutional right for asylum be abolished. Meanwhile, Interior Minister, Thomas de Maiziere, is unapologetic for accusing, in front of live ZDF cameras, the hundred-thousand refugees of behaving ungratefully and presumptuously.
After a brief period of "Open Arm Policy," the debate about the refugee crisis has now reached a chain of reasoning that is oddly reminiscent of the logic and dialogue of the '70s and '80s.
Even back then, the discussion wasn't at eye-level: Immigrants were treated as beggars far too often. Integration was confused with assimilation. It wasn't in vain, when in 1982 the newly elected "black-yellow" CDU government still firmly declared that Germany was "no immigration country."
Such slogans appeared reassuring to the conservative bourgeoisie because the responsibility for a successful integration was, after all, the responsibility of the immigrants.
Thus the debates on "immigrant criminal statistics" in the '90s and '00s are often presented with the same logic: When immigrants become delinquent, it is because they didn't try hard enough to integrate.
To date, many Germans of Turkish descent struggle with prejudices. They even have trouble finding jobs -- just because of their origin. This is also the consequence of decades of prejudices.
Politicians are realizing, far too late, the importance of behavior and culture for a successful integration. Do we designate immigrants as "guest workers" because we hope that they'll leave one day? Or do we treat immigrants as people and open our perspective towards them?
Just as then, today Union policy-makers are judging immigrants. And that is exactly why the demand for standing in accordance with the constitution has once again become popular opinion. It frees every German from the responsibility to take action.
There is only one difference between then and today: For now, it's impossible to say when the number of asylum seekers will recede. To impose an "asylum-stop" like the "guest worker recruitment stop" was once imposed, is not reconcilable with our constitution.
It is essential to make things better this time around. Sadly, the bourgeois forces of Germany lack the courage to act.
This post first appeared on HuffPost Germany and was translated into English.



Sebastian Christ