AfD proposes to repatriate Syrian ‘refugees’ as war comes to an end

Since the beginning of the year, more than 25 percent of migrants applying for asylum in Germany are said to be from Syria, making them the biggest ethnic group, data from the Federal Interior Ministry showed this week.

The proposal for repatriating Syrians is its first since the party entered Germany’s lower house of parliament, gaining momentum in September’s election on an anti-immigrant platform.It has been put forward by the two party leaders Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel.

The AfD has urged the new German government to immediately start talks with Syrian authorities over a deal to repatriate their citizens. “This deal should ensure that the returnees will be accepted in Syria and accommodated only in safe areas,” the AfD said in a statement.

The proposal included a Syrian school curriculum for Syrian children living in Germany, either by local Syrian teachers or teachers dispatched by the Syrian government for this purpose.

It added that Damascus must offer guarantees not to persecute Syrians who had escaped the military draft. The Syrian government together with Germany should finance the repatriation, which they said should be free for those wanting to return.

Despite being the third largest party in the new Bundestag, the proposal, while popular with voters, is very unlikely to win approval. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, the biggest bloc, as well as leftwing parties have stonewalled the AfD.

President Bashar al-Assad has also urged refugees to return home, Reuters reported. This week, Syria’s army declared victory over ISIS, resulting in the collapse of their reign of terror in the region. Millions have been killed or forced to flee their homes in the region, with many escaping to Europe, after the United States supported a destabilisation campaign in the region.

But the Greens party, called the AfD proposal “irresponsible, inhumane and heartless”, accusing the party of appealing to voters. “No subject is too abysmal, no populism is too dirty for you. Shame on you!” Greens politician Luise Amtsberg raged on her Facebook account.

Meanwhile Angela Merkel’s conservatives, the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) are struggling to close a coalition deal.

Merkel’s failed open-border policy has seen her party plummet to a new 17-year low in a poll by Civey. Her CDU/CSU alliance had already recently dipped to 31 percent, but has now sunk to 29 percent as she cozies up to leftwing pro-immigration parties to try to save her position.

#Merkel in hijab on #Germany TV drives harsh reaction 😀https://t.co/woSANdMU7z

via @INTHENOWRT pic.twitter.com/66Mg90IPRH

— Marcel Sardo (@marcelsardo) October 8, 2015

The AfD has seen a steady rise in their support.

Germany, Civey poll:

CDU/CSU-EPP: 29%
SPD-S&D: 21% ↑
AfD-EFDD: 15% ↑
FDP-ALDE: 11%
GRÜNE-G/EFA: 11%
LINKE-LEFT: 10%#AfD

— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) November 17, 2017

Germany has also witnessed a huge surge in the numbers of people who are without a home in Germany, with over 50 000 people currently living on the streets.

Merkel may be on the brink of being ousted as German Chancellor or facing another election after coalition talks broke down on Thursday due to disagreements over immigration quotas.

“It’s not just the chancellor’s fourth term that depends on the success of Jamaica, but her entire political career,” German tabloid Bild pointed out.

“If the conservatives, the Greens and the FDP can’t pull together, there’s no way to avoid new elections,” Der Spiegel news weekly noted.