Polling Panic: On Eve of Crucial Election, German Government Pivots and Deports Afghan Nationals for the First Time Since 2021 ‘Taliban Takeover’
Guest Post by Miriam Judith
Germany has commenced the deportation of Afghan nationals for the first time since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021.
The shocking change of pace comes as the Country is set to hold two elections on Friday, and faces mounting pressure to deal with the rising crime brought by the untill-now unchecked migrant community.
Early Friday morning, a chartered Qatar Airways flight departed from Germany, transporting 28 Afghan nationals back to Kabul. According to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, these individuals were all convicted offenders.
“These were Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted offenders who had no right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued,” Hebestreit said in a statement.
Photos circulated on X showing the busses taking the migrants to the planes to be loaded.
Germany deports Afghan criminals to their home country✈️
For the first time since the Taliban seized power 3 years ago.
A Qatar airlines charter jet took off from Leipzig early Friday morning with 28 Afghan criminals on board. Tomorrow are 2 federal state elections in Germany… pic.twitter.com/N3YHIKqe6Z— Michael Weingardt (@Michael_Wgd) August 30, 2024
Germany is currently grappling with increasing pressure to manage its migrant crisis. This urgency has intensified following a series of serious criminal incidents. Most notably, a Muslim migrant went on a horrific stabbing spree, killing three, at a “Diversity Festival” in Solingen earlier this month.
The killer shouted Allahu Akbar as he committed the attack.
Additionally, in May, a police officer was fatally attacked by a 25-year-old Afghan national, further igniting public concern and governmental scrutiny regarding immigration policies.
In response to these growing safety concerns, Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed his commitment, back in June, to begin deportations of Afghan and Syrian nationals who have criminal records. The government's recent actions appear to be aligning with this pledge.
