Knife attack at city festival: Debate about deportation and knife laws gains momentum

After the knife attack in Solingen and ahead of the state elections in the east, the debate about stricter deportation rules and stricter gun laws is becoming more heated. CDU leader Friedrich Merz once again toughened his tone towards Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and called for a freeze on the admission of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan to Germany. Meanwhile, the deadlocked traffic light debate about stricter rules on carrying knives seems to be gaining momentum.

Opposition leader Merz wrote in his email newsletter “MerzMail”: “After the terrorist attack in Solingen, it should now be clear: it is not the knives that are the problem, but the people who carry them around. In the majority of cases, these are refugees, and in the majority of the attacks, there are Islamist motives behind them.”

The coalition has rejected all of the Union’s proposals in recent years. “Since this weekend at the latest, it has been clear: enough is enough. Now it’s up to the Chancellor,” wrote Merz. He repeated well-known Union demands such as deportations to Syria and Afghanistan. No more refugees from these countries should be accepted.

Merz to Scholz: Fulfill your oath of office

Merz called on the Chancellor to make use of his power to issue directives and to authorize the votes on the necessary laws in the Bundestag so that no MP is bound by the usual party discipline.

Scholz had already announced in June, after the deadly knife attack in Mannheim, that the deportation of serious criminals and terrorist threats to Afghanistan and Syria would again be possible.

SPD parliamentary group vice-chair Dirk Wiese rejected Merz’s demand to generally stop accepting refugees from Syria and Afghanistan. Many had fled Syria from IS, for example, the SPD interior politician told the “Tagesspiegel”. It was still right to provide protection to people who really need it. Wiese also reiterated the SPD’s position of deporting criminals to Syria and Afghanistan.

Election campaign reason for increased announcements?

Three people were killed with a knife at a town festival in Solingen on Friday evening. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the suspect, a 26-year-old Syrian, for murder and on suspicion of membership in the terrorist group Islamic State (IS). An attempt to deport the man failed last year.

The background to the political announcements is likely to be the upcoming state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg in September. Politicians in the traffic light coalition and the Union fear a further increase in the already high approval ratings for parties such as the AfD or the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance.

Steinmeier calls for more powers for security authorities

After the knife attack in Solingen, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also brought up the possibility of expanding the powers of the security authorities. Better protection against attacks “also includes equipping the security authorities with the necessary powers,” he said in a summer interview with ZDF. Steinmeier called for more staff for the security authorities. In the event of a terrorist threat, however, an expansion of the powers of the Federal Criminal Police Office, for example, is also conceivable. The Federal Government must now speed up discussions on a corresponding legislative proposal.

Faeser: Hard response to terrorist act

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group: “As a state, we will respond to this terrorist act with all the necessary severity and consistently combat the Islamist threat.” There will be intensive discussions about “which instruments we need to further sharpen to combat terror and violence and which powers our security authorities need in these times to protect our population as best as possible.”

Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) said in the ARD format “Ask yourself”, in which citizens can ask politicians questions online, that criminals must be arrested immediately and leave the country, especially to Syria and Afghanistan. “The truth is simple: We must be more consistent,” he said, adding: “We must give the police more opportunities to carry out checks.”

Buschmann announces negotiations on gun laws for knives

Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann announced negotiations on the gun law for knives. “We will now discuss in the federal government how we can further advance the fight against this type of knife crime,” the FDP politician told “Bild am Sonntag”. So far, the FDP has rejected proposals from Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) for stricter bans.

Recently, the number of knife attacks in Germany has increased significantly. In 2023, the police registered 8,951 cases of dangerous and serious bodily harm in which knives were used either to injure someone or to threaten to do so – an increase of almost 9.7 percent compared to the previous year.

The SPD is demanding a significant tightening of the laws, as are Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) and the opposition CDU/CSU faction. According to Faeser’s plans, knives with blades of up to six centimeters long should only be allowed to be carried in public, instead of the current twelve centimeters. There should be a general ban on dangerous switchblades.

A major problem with possible stricter rules on carrying knives is their feasibility, such as the ability of security authorities to control them in public spaces.

At the end of May, the act of an Afghan in Mannheim attracted a lot of attention. He injured five members of the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa and a police officer with a knife. The police officer later died. In mid-June, a 27-year-old Afghan was shot dead by officers in Wolmirstedt in Saxony-Anhalt after he had stabbed a 23-year-old and then injured several people at a private European Championship garden party.