While the German government has long stood out at the EU level for its comparatively humanitarian-oriented positions on irregular migration, public pressure after terrorist attacks linked to rejected asylum-seekers has triggered radical measures.
[…]
Aside from tightening border policies, the coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Liberals (FDP) wants to cut all benefits for some rejected ‘Dublin’ asylum-seekers and resume deportations to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
The trend has left human-rights-focused lawmakers feeling alienated.
Prominent colleagues speak up less in support of refugees’ human rights, as “talking about human matters is not expedient,” [the Green Party’s lead MP on migration Julian] Pahlke observed.
However, he does not want to keep a low profile after spending four years as a sea rescuer in the Mediterranean. “I saw [refugees] drown in front of my eyes because there weren’t enough emergency staff (…), that has left its mark on me,” he said.
[…]
He wants to refocus the debate on more multipartisan concerns surrounding basic dignity, such as the drowning of migrants who are trying to reach Europe.
The pan-European human-rights organisation Council of Europe (CoE) offers a venue for this is, as it is shielded from the controversy of domestic politics and watches over the binding European Convention on Human Rights.
[…]
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Rather than focussing on the real issues (like they promised in the coalition treaty) such as the lack of affordable housing in the cities, they try to appease AfD voters with stupid populism. This will backfire for sure.
