Refugee U-turn by the Chancellor – Millions of Afghans want to go to Germany – domestic politics

by time news

It is a historic turning point for the Chancellor.

Angela Merkel’s (67, CDU) controversial sentence “We can do that” (refugee crisis 2015) became the new, clear message on Thursday at her last major appearance in front of the capital city press: We cannot accept everyone.

At the traditional summer press conference before Merkel’s departure on vacation, BILD asked whether the Chancellor regards it as a moral obligation to take in refugees from Afghanistan. Just as she did with hundreds of thousands of Syrians in 2015 – when she spoke of a “humanitarian imperative”.

But Merkel now says of Afghans: “We have already taken in a large number of Afghan refugees.”

Merkel’s sober conclusion: Germany cannot compensate for everything “that is difficult in Afghanistan”. “We cannot solve all of these problems by taking in people.”

The message to millions of Afghans who might flee to Europe and Germany for fear of the Taliban: stay at home!

It is also your government that is leaving Afghanistan to the terrorists by withdrawing troops. Strategy? Not visible.

Yet: It is a clear departure from her own refugee course of 2015 – Merkel’s political legacy and curse at the same time.

Because at that time millions of people understood the words of the Chancellor as an invitation. “If we now start to have to apologize for showing a friendly face in emergency situations, then this is not my country,” Merkel said.

More than a million refugees made their way to Germany within a year. The migrants adored her: “This is our mom. She is waiting for us, ”said a migrant with a Merkel poster into the cameras at the Budapest train station. Refugees sent selfies with Merkel around the world. The influx got temporarily out of control.

Yesterday the Chancellor made it clear: THAT should not be repeated again.

The FDP politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (54) to BILD: “Finally the Chancellor says it so clearly: Migration can only run in an orderly manner.” Merkel’s refugee policy from 2015 damaged the political culture that made the AfD strong. Lambsdorff: “The Chancellor now shows a certain insight, unfortunately too late.”

Historian and CDU member Andreas Rödder (54, University of Mainz) also speaks of a turning point: “We cannot solve all problems ‘by accepting people’ – that is something completely different from the ‘humanitarian imperative’ of 2015. “And:” In connection with the balance sheet of the Afghanistan mission, it is an admission of perplexity. “

After all, the Afghan aid workers of the withdrawn Bundeswehr, who now have to fear for their lives, should be allowed to come to Germany. None of the others.

Wellbeing questions for Merkel

At Angela Merkel’s last major summer press conference, some journalists were obviously more touched than the head of government.

BILD documents embarrassing feel-good questions from the correspondents to the Chancellor:

► “Was this just the fulfillment of your duty or were you looking forward to seeing us journalists?”

► “This is probably your last summer press conference today – are you feeling wistful, nostalgic?”

► “What will you actually miss after this last summer press conference?”

► “Do you think the country is ready for a West German Chancellor?”

► “Are you happy about the term ‘Crisis Chancellor’?”

► “What was actually the bigger challenge: the questioning of us journalists in the federal press conference or the questioning by the members of the Bundestag government questionnaire?”

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