Media outlets reported that a group of refugees resigned from membership in the Green Party in protest against the party leaders’ approval of an agreement to “reform” the European asylum system, noting that the agreement amounts to a “historic betrayal” of the Greens’ policies towards immigration, and a step on the path to rapprochement with the extreme right. As they put it.
The group said in its resignation statement that the gap had widened between them and the political leadership of the Alliance 90/The Greens Party, following its approval of reforming the common European asylum system, known as the “Law for Improving Conditions for Returning Refugees to Their Countries,” according to the “Amal, Berlin!” website.
They continued: “We, a group of refugees who took refuge in Germany between 2014 and 2016 due to persecution and war, believe that this law practically eliminates the right to asylum, which is a basic human right, which will lead to serious violations of the rights of many refugees, which we consider a historical betrayal of the Greens’ policy towards refugees.”
They stressed that their decision to resign is not just a reaction to their personal suffering, but rather “it is a defense of human rights. Speaking about refugee persons and on their behalf in the public sphere in defense of their basic rights is not only our duty as those affected, but it is also your duty, for which you were not competent, based on your current positions, and by your approval of this amendment.”
They considered that the party’s current orientation regarding refugee policy “does not in any way represent the fight against the right wing, but rather suggests affinity with the right wing. This not only incites violence against refugees, but also reinforces the policy of the Alternative for Germany party.” (Which poses a serious threat to democracy in Germany).
They called on the party’s leadership to return to its principles, and called on “all people committed within the party to defending the rights of refugees, and we hope that the party will find its human rights compass again.”
Among the most prominent signatories of the resignation statement are Bakri Haj Bakri, spokesman for the Working Group on Immigration and Asylum in the state of Berlin, Tariq Al-Aws, spokesman for the Federal Working Group on Migration and Asylum, Moatasem Al-Rifaei, member of the Immigration and Integration Council in Nuremberg, Nour Kharouf, spokesman for the Working Group on Immigration and asylum in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and Qusay Amer, a member of the Green Party leadership council in Neukölln.
On December 19, European Parliaments and European Union member states reached an agreement on reforming the immigration system, but human rights organizations considered that “this agreement constitutes a historic failure” and “will cause more deaths at sea.”
The reform, which includes a series of five texts, provides for enhanced monitoring of the migrant arrival operations to the European Union and the establishment of closed centers near the borders to return those whose applications for asylum are rejected more quickly, as well as a mandatory solidarity mechanism between member states to help countries facing great pressure.
This political agreement must still be formally approved by both the Council (member states) and the European Parliament.
