Church and Refugee Council seek to halt expulsion proceedings
In Bremen, Germany, a sizable gathering took place last night at the Evangelical Zion congregation, protesting an impending deportation under the Dublin Regulation. The Refugee Council had appealed for solidarity, as the intended receiving country, Croatia, has a reputation for human rights violations against refugees.
The Bremen interior authority had sought to enforce a deportation as early as December, but encountered resistance from supporters, managing to postpone the action. The Bremen Refugee Council, with Gundula Oerter as its representative, strongly condemned the deportation practice. She noted reports of refugee pushbacks, internment, and mistreatment in Croatia. According to her, church asylum is a state-community agreement that should be upheld. In case the interior authority attempts to forcibly remove the asylum seekers from the church, protesters pledged peaceful resistance.
In a broader context, anti-immigration sentiments and policies have been a topic of ongoing debate in Germany. For instance, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party advocates for deporting migrants, and has been classified as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV)[1], potentially leading to increased scrutiny and potential funding restrictions.
The European Union's migration and asylum policies are also evolving, with discussions around European unity and defense possibly influencing asylum seekers across member states[2]. While specific implications for Croatia and refugees under the Dublin Regulation are not detailed in available information, these larger issues provide a context for understanding the current situation.
- The general-news headlines this week have featured robust discussions over political topics, as the Bremen Refugee Council pleads for compassion towards asylum seekers and condemns their impending deportation under the Dublin Regulation.
- As the Bremen Refugee Council continually opposes the impending deportation of the asylum seekers, broader political debates surrounding immigration and the role of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party in Germany have begun to influence the direction of politics, complicating the situation for refugees seeking asylum under the Dublin Regulation.
