German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz has defended the right to claim asylum in Germany, rejecting calls for a radical overhaul. “The right to asylum is an integral part of our legal and value system. We must not abandon it today,” he added.

Scholz, who is seeking re-election next month, said that the right to asylum was a historical responsibility given Germany’s Nazi past.

“Back then, it was German and European Jews who were turned away at foreign borders. Germany must never allow that to happen again.”
Olaf Scholz

This came as he delivered a major speech to the German parliament one week after a deadly knife attack in the southern city of Aschaffenburg attributed to an Afghan national.

Directly addressing the Aschaffenburg attack last week, he called it “a heinous, monstrous crime,” and says that many citizens feel “deeply unsettled” by repeated cases “where the perpetrator abused our protection.”

He added, “It was someone who should no longer be here or at least not be at large.”

However, he said that there is “an enforcement deficit” at the state level, and argued attacks “could have been prevented with the existing laws.”

Scholz argued his government increased the number of deportations from Germany, and is working on more flights to Afghanistan, as well as Syria “as soon as the situation on the ground allows it.” “We will deport criminals there too, according to law and order, as befits a constitutional state,” he said.

He went on to stress the lengths his government went to protect the borders and toughen up immigration policies.

“With some of our measures we have pushed the boundaries of what our constitution and the European treaties allow. This is especially true for the temporary border controls, which have to be re-established and extended every six months…But it is clear that we cannot and must not go beyond the current law.”
Olaf Scholz

Scholz stated that particularly with Donald Trump in the US, the European unity is more important than ever as he accuses the opposition that their proposals would break that solidarity between member states.

He said that the EU’s new common asylum system will help protect the external borders better.

Scholz Criticises Opposition Proposals

Scholz sharply criticized his conservative rival Friedrich Merz for tabling the motions, which could pass on Wednesday with the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Directly attacking opposition proposals, he called them “pseudo-solutions” that would harm Germany’s reputation in Europe and undermine the EU.

He said that the measures – which include turning away all asylum-seekers at Germany’s borders and withdrawing German citizenship from dual nationals convicted of a serious criminal offence – are superficial solutions that damage the rule of law and the foundations of the EU.

“The biggest country in the EU would be openly breaking EU law, as only [Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán in Hungary has dared to. No German chancellor would ever have done something like this. A German chancellor must not be a gambler.”
Olaf Scholz

He also warned that Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc could enter into an alliance with the AfD after the election, despite Merz repeatedly ruling out such a coalition.

He warned that if the opposition’s proposals pass, “all of this would be at risk” as he said, “if we withdraw from the European rules, others will too.”

He then directly addressed the issue of the “firewall” that means isolating the far-right, saying, “there has always been a clear consensus among all democrats” on this issue.

He noted that the opposition’s openness to pass the proposals with the AfD votes would be “an unforgivable mistake.”

He further warned by drawing comparisons between Germany and Austria, warning that when the firewall falls, it opens the way for far-right parties to join the government.