Germans fear Europe has ‘lost control over migration’
MIGRATION came to the fore in the race to succeed Angela Merkel yesterday after one of the front-runners called for the right to asylum to be changed in the German constitution.
Friedrich Merz, one of three contenders to succeed Mrs Merkel as leader of the Christian Democrat party next month, called for the declaration to be amended amid growing unease about the numbers of migrants flocking to Germany.
“I share your anger when there is talk of loss of control over migration,” Mr Merz told a party hustings on Wednesday night. “For a long time now I have thought that we should be prepared to talk openly about the right to asylum and whether it can continue if we seriously want a European migration and refugee policy.”
Mr Merz’s remarks were condemned by his leadership rivals but there was support from the party grassroots.
“The right to asylum was enshrined in the constitution for a good reason,” Annegret Kramp-karrenbauer said.
“The authors of the constitution chose their words carefully because of Germany’s historic responsibility for the persecution of the Jewish people.
“Jewish refugees were turned away at the borders of neutral countries and deported directly to Auschwitz.”
Jens Spahn said the right to asylum for the persecuted was “a great achievement of our constitution”. But added: “The problem is that it is being exploited too often today, leading to uncontrolled migration.”
The right to asylum is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Germany is one of few countries to also guarantee it in its own constitution, but it goes further, recognising it as an individual right.
The row has galvanised a leadership contest that has appeared non-confrontational until now. Mr Merz made the comments at regional hustings in the former East Germany, where the nationalist Alternative for Germany party has made inroads.
Both Ms Kramp-karrenbauer and Mr Spahn have called for migrant policy to be tightened in the close race for the leadership. The row came as former White House hopeful Hillary Clinton said Europe had “done its part” and needed to “get a handle on migration” to prevent the rise of Right-wing populism. “If we don’t deal with the migration issue it will continue to roil the body politic,” she told The Guardian.
‘Jewish refugees were turned away at the borders of neutral countries and deported to Auschwitz’