CSU faction head Hoffmann voices disapproval towards Pro Asyl organization. - Hoffmann, head of the CSU's national faction, launches a criticizing attack on Pro Asylum.
In a turn of events, Alexander Hoffmann, the new head of the CSU parliamentary group in Germany's Bundestag, has hurled serious accusations at refugee aid organizations like Pro Asyl. This storm erupted due to the controversy surrounding the repatriations at the German-Polish border, which the Berlin Administrative Court deemed illegal. Hoffmann hinted at support for Somalis by German aiders even before they set foot in the country. Pro Asyl firmly rejected these claims.
In the "Augsburger Allgemeinen" (Saturday), Hoffmann questioned various activities of Pro Asyl along the refugee routes, including at border crossings. He argued that refugees are frequently advised to discard their identification papers because it complicates deportation from Germany significantly.
Speaking about the case of the three Somali asylum seekers, Hoffmann suggested a "staging" was at play. He pointed out that one individual claimed to be a minor during the third attempt, contrary to their previous two entry attempts where they were of legal age. The ID documents showed signs of forgery, in his opinion. Furthermore, all three asylum seekers owned brand-new phones, which reportedly left their travel route untraceable. According to Hoffmann, this sequence of events reeked of a planned event orchestrated by asylum activists.
Karl Kopp, the managing director of Pro Asyl, refuted these claims as baseless in the newspaper. "We are a human rights organization and support refugees in court," Kopp emphasized. "That was also the case with the three individuals from Somalia." Kopp deemed it appalling that advising people to discard identification or buy new phones was being interpreted as a Pro Asyl initiative.
The Berlin Administrative Court made a decisive ruling on Monday, deeming the repatriation of the three Somalis at the Frankfurt (Oder) border checkpoint as illegitimate. The court mandated that until the EU country responsible for their asylum application is determined, they cannot be dismissed. The three affected individuals were sent back to Poland, only to return to Berlin later, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Senate Administration for the Interior.
- CSU
- Pro Asyl
- Alexander Hoffmann
- Asylum
- Somalia
- Germany
- Bundestag
- Staging
- Administrative Court
- Berlin
- Augsburger Allgemeine
Supplementary Insights:
This dispute centers around Alexander Hoffmann's allegations against Pro Asyl regarding three Somali asylum seekers. Hoffmann argued that one individual's age claim inconsistencies, along with the brand-new mobile phones possessed by all three individuals, pointed to a staged event by asylum activists[1].
Hoffmann's accusations followed a legal action supported by Pro Asyl, leading to a Berlin Administrative Court ruling that the pushback of the asylum seekers at the Polish border was unlawful. The court stated that Germany could not turn people away without a clear decision on which EU country is responsible and without proving an emergency warranting the suspension of EU law[1].
Pro Asyl vigorously rejected Hoffmann's accusations, describing them as an attack on its work[1]. The evidence Hoffmann presented was based on the inconsistencies in age claims and the new mobile phones they possessed, which he interpreted as indicative of a staged event[1].
[1] Enrichment Data: Inconsistencies in age claims and new mobile phones deemed evidence of a staged event by Hoffmann, Pro Asyl denies these allegations and the evidence presented, and perceives it as an attack on their work.
- The argument by CSU leader Alexander Hoffmann regarding the three Somali asylum seekers' case seems to suggest a staged event, citing inconsistencies in age claims and brand-new mobile phones as evidence.
- Karl Kopp, the managing director of Pro Asyl, vehemently refuted these allegations, viewing them as an attack on their organization's work, which includes advocating for and supporting refugees in legal matters.
