Germany: AfD's René Springer pledges mass deportations as part of 'remigration' policy

Ian Miles Cheong
  |   January 12, 2024

Germany's progressive-leaning media outlets have been publicizing an alleged "secret" expulsion strategy devised by the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Contrarily, AfD representative René Springer states that this strategy is not confidential and has pledged to carry out mass deportations if the AfD gains authority.

“We will return foreigners to their homeland. By the millions,” he wrote on X. “This is not a secret plan. This is a promise. For more security. For more justice. To preserve our identity. For Germany.”

Recently, the AfD has been emphasizing its "remigration" policy, mainly targeting migrants convicted of crimes who have not been deportable from Germany. While there are several hundred thousand migrants in Germany who are "tolerated," the number of millions mentioned by Springer suggests a much more ambitious target for deportations.

Earlier this week, the AfD released a statement listing numerous incidents involving migrants during New Year's festivities. This included an incident captured on video of three migrants rendering a doctor unconscious in a Berlin hospital, a 20-year-old Somali assaulting a woman with a fire extinguisher on a train near Schwetzingen, and a Ukrainian migrant attacking a 46-year-old with a bottle in Bad Lippspringe.

“Everyday life in the ‘colorful republic,’ Such everyday conditions are shocking and make it clear: 2024 must be the year of remigration! Anyone who vandalizes restaurants and train stations, attacks doctors, or riots on trains has no place here and must be deported immediately. Action must finally be taken,” wrote the AfD in its statement.

Springer's declaration about deportation coincides with the AfD reaching an unprecedented 24 percent in a recent national YouGov poll, a level of support that was considered highly improbable by many just a year earlier.

There's been internal debate within the AfD regarding the scale of deportations, with some members advocating for extensive deportations, potentially in the millions, including foreign nationals holding German citizenship.

Others in the party, however, consider this approach unfeasible. Recently, the AfD clarified that it would not deport German citizens, aligning with legal experts' opinions that such actions would contravene the German constitution.

Ian Miles Cheong

Contributor

Ian Miles Cheong is a freelance writer, graphic designer, journalist and videographer. He’s kind of a big deal on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/stillgray

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