Germany restarts deportations to Afghanistan following violent incident

Germany has resumed the deportation of convicted Afghan offenders for the first time since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan three years ago. This move comes in the wake of a series of high-profile stabbing incidents that have sparked intense debate over the country's asylum policies.

The deportation flight, which departed from Leipzig on Friday morning, carried 28 Afghan men to Kabul. According to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, all the deportees were convicted offenders who had no legal right to remain in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued.

The decision to resume deportations follows a fatal stabbing incident at a street festival in the western town of Solingen, where three people were killed and eight others injured. The main suspect in the Solingen attack is a 26-year-old Syrian refugee who was facing deportation. Another deadly attack in May, which resulted in the death of a police officer in Mannheim, involved a 25-year-old Afghan man who was subsequently arrested.

These incidents have reignited public concern over asylum rules and immigration policies, particularly as Germany prepares for crucial elections in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony this Sunday. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to perform strongly in these elections, with polls indicating that the three parties currently in the federal government are all running below 10%.

In response to the recent attacks, the German government has announced a series of measures aimed at tightening asylum rules and enhancing public safety. These include the loss of benefits for asylum seekers facing deportation and a ban on carrying knives at most public events and on public transport. Ministers have also proposed the establishment of a task force for the prevention of Islamism and the use of biometric facial recognition to help identify suspects.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has vowed to speed up the deportation process for foreigners convicted of knife crimes, stating that the government will do everything in its power to ensure that those who cannot stay in Germany are repatriated. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has added that asylum seekers who have already registered in another EU country will lose their rights to welfare benefits, although she emphasized that no one would be left hungry or homeless.

The planned measures will need to be approved by parliament before they can be implemented. Despite calls from the CDU leader Friedrich Merz to halt the entry of refugees from Afghanistan and Syria, Chancellor Scholz has rejected this proposal.

The recent developments highlight the ongoing challenges Germany faces in balancing its humanitarian obligations with public safety concerns, as the country continues to grapple with the complexities of immigration and asylum policies.