In the wake of the terror attack in Solingen, the traffic light coalition is introducing changes to gun laws, new police powers and adjustments to residency laws. The Union believes that this is not enough.
There is broad support in the Bundestag for the measures of the so-called security package of the traffic light coalition, even if the Union had hoped for more here. This was evident in the first discussions on the changes to the law. The drafts presented contained “many sensible measures”, even if comprehensive rejections at the German borders and other options for combating irregular migration and terrorism were missing, said the parliamentary manager of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei (CDU).
The draft laws presented by the SPD, the Greens and the FDP include, among other things, a tightening of gun laws with regard to carrying knives in public, the cancellation of benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act for people whose asylum procedures are the responsibility of another state, and the authority to biometrically compare publicly available data from the Internet so that the security authorities can better identify and locate suspected terrorists and suspects.
No more knives at folk festivals
At festivals and other public events, in places with a high crime rate, on public transport and at bus stops, the use of knives will in future be prohibited, or can be prohibited, regardless of the length of the blade, in order to better prevent knife attacks and acts of violence. There will be expanded control powers to monitor compliance with the new bans.
Everything “that is practically and legally possible” is being done to ensure the safety of citizens, said Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD). The federal government is acting with discretion and without stirring up resentment.
In Solingen, three people were killed and eight others injured in a suspected Islamist knife attack at a city festival in August. A 26-year-old Syrian is in custody for the crime. The man was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria in 2023, but this failed.
The Solingen SPD member of the Bundestag, Ingo Schäfer, said: “The crime still traumatizes my hometown today.” The “security package” is a first step towards drawing consequences.
Politicians from the AfD faction used the debate for election campaign purposes. Their parliamentary manager, Bernd Baumann, said: “Anyone who wants a real change in migration must vote for the AfD.” The domestic policy spokesman, Gottfried Curio, directly addressed the state election in Brandenburg the weekend after next and said: “The SPD and the Greens are dying parties.”
The outgoing chairwoman of the Left Party, Janine Wissler, said: “We defend the right to asylum and we defend human rights.” Bundestag President Bärbel Bas reprimanded Wissler for calling the AfD faction a “skunk” in her speech.
The committees will now discuss the two draft laws of the traffic light coalition as well as proposals on migration policy from the Union and AfD.
Source: Stern
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