Arif Haidary, an Afghan refugee who arrived in Germany as an unaccompanied minor 10 years ago, has difficulty understanding the historical change that took place during the voices on Sunday.
“The choice was very, very bad,” he said.
When Haidary arrived in Germany in 2015, Angela Merkel was a chancellor and the country was quoted as a model for the welcoming refugees. While the majority of the rest of Europe closed its borders, Germany opened the door for more than a million refugees 2015.
But times have changed.
The Central Right-Christian Democratic Allianz (CDU/CSU), which has taken a hard migration by promising A “basic” overhaul Of asylum rules and Border controlAround 29 percent of the vote achieved the election last weekend.
The alternative for Germany (AfD), the repeated Request for remigration (Deportation of people with a migrant background) received 20.8 percent, the highest score since the end of the Second World War.
Germany chose the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) by Friedrich Merz in the Snap elections on Sunday, but the right-wing extremist alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrates a record-time placer. Andrew Chang breaks the make -up of the new coalition government, which the CDU has to form, and the importance of the profits of the AfD. Pictures of Reuters, Getty Images and the Canadian press.
The election took place after Chancellor Olaf Scholz had lost a vote of trust last year after the collapse of his coalition government.
Immigration had the top priority of the voters, especially after a series of attacks, as with one The Afghan refugee drove a car into the crowd during a demonstration in Munich Two weeks ago they kill a mother and child.
On the night of the Munich attack “I received so many racist messages and said that we, Afghans, kill many people,” said Haidary, who is also Vice President of the Munich Migration Consulting Council.
“Unfortunately, a large part of it is the guilt of politicians – they often try to generalize this problem and make all Afghans look like. I think it is getting worse now. Every refugee is afraid.”
Fear of deportation
Friedrich Merz, who looks It must now try to form a coalition to the government.
Even if Merz has excluded an alliance with the extreme right, many remember that he accepted the support of the AfD a few weeks ago when he applied to immigration in parliament. It was a premiere in the country that is used to maintaining a “firewall” against the right way.
This alliance led to massive demonstrations across the country.
The term “removal” became part of the rhetoric during the election campaign.
AfD, whose guide Alice Weidel stands in a relationship with a woman born in Sri Lanka, even made it Election campaign pilot in the style of disposable aircraft cards Send migrants home.
“I am very concerned,” said Cameron Kakande, a refugee from Uganda who fled to Munich in his country four years ago. “They say that all people with a migrant background may have to leave the country. I am one of these people. But Uganda is not a safe place for me.”
Uganda is considered One of the most dangerous countries for 2LGBTQ+ peoplethat risk the death penalty.
“It was to Germany because of the language and everyone. I would have loved going to the USA or Canada.
In 2021 he was able to get a visa for Germany to fly there. Since then, Kakande has been working as a HIV activist in NGOs, has learned the language and feels integrated. But he also fears more discrimination.
“You can find that there are people who have no problem with refugees, but as soon as they hear all these (political) stories, their way of thinking changes.”
Lack of work
Germany has imposed temporary land limits in the past few months And began to return people to Afghanistan, A first since returning to the power of the Taliban.
“The next four years will be very difficult for refugees and people with a migration background. These people will no longer feel comfortable, and there will also be more deportation,” said Haidary.
At the same time, the German economy is in crisis after two years of recession and needs more work with an aging population.
“We have 400,000 free jobs every year. We need these people who want to work in sectors where there is a lack of lack, as in the healthcare system,” said Britta Coy, founder of Juno, an NGO that helps refugee women in Munich.
For example around 10,000 Syrians work in German hospitalsAccording to the Syrian society for doctors and pharmacists in Germany.
Juno, who is based on public subsidies, tries to find new donors because this fears a change in the financing.
“I assume (the incoming government) will reduce social aids for refugees, and even less money will be available for integration projects and NGOs, which is so important,” said Coy. “If you cut it off, people don’t really have the chance to start a new life here.”
Water sheath for 2LGBTQ+ rights?
The 2SLGBTQ+ community is also concerned about seeing a decline in its rights.
For example, Merz ‘party and the AfD swore to revoke this Self -determination lawWhat made it easier for people to change their gender in official records.
“The sentences of Merz about the sexes and say that he can support the idea of (US President Donald) Trump, that there are only two genders, and the AfD, which is really against LGBTQ+, even if his leader is with a couple with a girl, are not a good sign at all,” said Tobias Oliveira Wismantel, Managing Director of Munitich AIDS Hilfes-Hilfs-Hilfs-Hilfs-Hilfs. It is an NGO that offers services for the 2LGBBTQ+ community and people with HIV.
He says that the current discourse could lead to a stigmatization of the community, at a time when Germany already has an increase in violence against 2LGBTQ+ people, said Weismantel.
“My greatest concern for trans people is. We know that you already have to do with depression, psychological problems and a high suicide rate,” he said. “Populism is never good for suicide. I’m really concerned.”
The manifesto of the AfD for the last choice is defined by the family as “Father, mother and children.
Vicky Voyage, a drag queen from Munich, says that she has already seen a change.
“Every time I make a drag story for children, people come from all right to protest in front of the library, and say we are pedophiles and sexualized young people. The children have to get through a secret door so that they don’t know anything about the demonstration,” said Voyage.
The demonstrators “do not understand that we only create a safe space for queer children”.
In the past few months, Weidel has thrown allies who are known for their strong attitude towards 2LGBTQ+ rights. This includes Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and currently a great force in the US government under President Donald Trump. musk accused “The Wok Mind Virus” for the transition of his transgender subsidiary.
“I thought we would never have a situation like in the United States, but populism from America has now arrived in Europe, and Trump is getting worse,” said Voyage. She sees the youngest German election results as the final warning.
“If the next government fails in the next four years, the AfD will grow even more. And there is a real risk that it will come to power.”
