Demonstration in Landau over family deportation: "We're struck by disbelief"
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A week ago, a family living close to Landau was sent packing to Egypt—despite appearing well-assimilated. This has sent shockwaves through their school, sports club, and place of work, causing quite the stir and protests.
Approximately 60 individuals gathered at Landau's market square last Friday afternoon, displaying placards saying "Crunched Nines Against Deportation" and "This is his home." They draw attention to the forcible removal of their classmate, his sibling, and their parents to Egypt.
This scenario strikes a discordant note between what's lawful and what feels right, leaving community members feeling perplexed. Since then, there've been vacancies: in two school classes, at a nursing home where the father was training, and in the table tennis club.
Familytolerated, not welcomed in Germany
The family had been residing in Germany since 2022, living in a village in southern Palatinate near Landau during their latest tenure. Their asylum applications had been rejected, and they were only tolerated in the end. "Tolerance certificates do not grant a legal right to residency but inform the holder that they are subject to deportation," the Southern Wine Route district explained to our website in response to an inquiry.
Saddened classmates voice their outrage
Both boys from the family attended Landau's Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium until their deportation. The younger son, Pavly, was in the 6th grade, while his older brother, Anthony, was in the 9th grade. "We're stunned, and we want to take action," says student Jil Theisen. The 9th grade has made their feelings known on social media, launched a petition, and organized a protest on the town hall square:
The contacts between Landau and Egypt remain: The students continue exchanging messages with the two kids.
Jil shares that Anthony isn't exactly pleased: "He said straight off that his life is ruined, he can't picture Egypt as his home."
Nursing home: We need the father as an employee
Laura Tietze is equally shocked. She runs a nursing home in Landau, where the father of the family had begun his care assistant training last October. In April, the foreign authority revoked his work permit. According to Tietze, this was due to him earning too little as a trainee.
Tietze claims the training included a language course, and she intended to keep the father as part of the team once he graduated. "He enjoyed the work and had also formed relationships with the residents," says the nursing home director. "Since we're facing a nursing shortage, we frequently recruit employees from abroad." It's heartbreaking when someone who's already in the country and working gets kicked out.
Table tennis club: Brothers missed in tournaments
The news of the deportation also left the Klingenmünster table tennis club (Southern Wine Route district) taken aback. "We'd planned an overnight stay with the youth during the Whitsun weekend, both boys had registered, but then a WhatsApp message from Egypt came in," reports youth leader Lasse Bohde.
The two brothers had joined the table tennis club about a year ago. Now, they're absent in the competitions.
Bohde shared the call to protest on Landau's town hall square via social media: "As a club, we definitely want to support this."
The family's sudden deportation has left a void in various aspects of the community, including their school, sports club, and workplace. Despite the boys' participation in Landau's Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium and the Klingenmünster table tennis club, their absence is noticeable, with the table tennis club particularly missing them in tournaments.
