Burka ban call in Germany

Following a spate of terror attacks, politicians seek wide-ranging security clampdown in Germany

SENIOR allies of Angela Merkel have urged the German government to ban burkas and end dual citizenship in response to the terrorist threat.

Interior ministers from German states have demanded the measures as the government prepares to announce a package of increased security measures today.

The ministers, all from Mrs Merkel’s CDU party or its Bavarian ally the CSU, believe the proposed steps do not go far enough. At present, Germany has no restrictions on the wearing of burkas or veils in public.

Under Germany’s federal system, law and order is largely the responsibility of the 16 state governments.

The interior ministers who have made the demand are all political allies of Mrs Merkel, the German chancellor, meaning there will be considerable pressure for her government to adopt at least some of their proposals.

Some lawyers argue that a burka ban would breach Germany’s constitution.

SENIOR ministers in Germany have called for a ban on burkas and an end to dual citizenship in response to the threat from terrorism.

The demands come as Angela Merkel’s government prepares to unveil increased security measures in the wake of recent terror attacks.

Thomas de Maizière, the German interior minister, is to detail the new proposals today, including the deportation of preachers who incite terror.

But senior elected officials from Mrs Merkel’s own Christian Democrat party (CDU) believe the new measures do not go far enough, and have published a series of more far-reaching proposals.

Mr de Maizière is believed to support the call for tougher measures, and will add his signature to the proposals next week, according to local press reports. The document, already known as the Berlin Declaration, has already been signed by state interior ministers across Germany. It includes 27 measures to increase security, including thousands of new police officers and video camera surveillance in city centres.

But the most controversial proposals are the calls for a ban on the full-face burka in public and an end to dual citizenship.

Unlike some European countries, Germany has no restrictions on the wearing of burkas or headscarves in public. Some lawyers have argued a ban could require a change to the German constitution, which protects freedom of religious expression.

The declaration calls for an end to dual citizenship on the grounds that it impedes integration. Under the current law, refugees and those born in Germany to immigrant parents are allowed dual citizenship. “We reject this divided loyalty,” the declaration reads. “We suggest whoever wants to get involved with the politics of foreign governments leaves Germany.”

It is not clear whether the proposal would apply to nationals from other EU countries, who are also allowed dual citizenship under current laws.

The proposal calls for dual nationals who fight for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) or other extremist organisations to be stripped of their German citizenship.

Under Germany’s federal system, law and order are largely the preserve of the 16 state governments. The interior ministers who have signed the declaration are all members of the CDU or its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), which means there will be considerable pressure for Mrs Merkel’s government to adopt at least some of the measures.

French teenagers are to be trained in how to handle a terror attack following a spate of Islamist killings, the government announced yesterday.

Starting in September, the new term, pupils aged 14 and upwards will be taught basic “life-saving” measures and and school heads will be required to carry out mock attack exercises and to secure “vulnerable areas”.

Isolated entrances into schools and exposed areas must be secured, the education and interior ministries said.