<
https://theconversation.com/germanys-plan-to-deport-syrian-refugees-echoes-1980s-effort-to-repatriate-turkish-guest-workers-271475>
"For 14 years while Syria’s brutal civil war raged, Germany provided a safe
haven for those fleeing the violence. Now, a year after that conflict ended
with the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, many in Germany – including
the country’s leader – want those same Syrians gone.
In November, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a controversial plan to
deport Syrian refugees “in the near future.” He also urged the 1 million
Syrians in Germany, most of whom are Muslim, to voluntarily return.
This hardened stance toward Syrian refugees, expressed at the highest level of
government, has been interpreted as Merz’s attempt to stave off Germany’s
rising far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD). In the February 2025
national election, the AfD won almost 21% of the vote, making it the
second-largest party in the parliament. The government’s perceived rationale is
that in getting tough on immigration, Merz will steal some of the thunder on an
issue that has seen the AfD swell its support.
However, the reality is more complex. Racism and Islamophobia are not purely
far-right phenomena. Rather, they have been part of mainstream German politics
and society for decades.
As an expert in German migration history and far-right extremism, I have
studied the history of racism and Islamophobia in Merz’s own party, the
centrist Christian Democratic Union (CDU). My recent book explains how the CDU
used similar tactics during the 1980s to kick out another group of
predominantly Muslim migrants: Turks, who are Germany’s largest ethnic
minority."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
