‘Historic day for Germany,’ far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel says after immigration motion passed – as it happened (original) (raw)

‘Historic day for Germany,’ far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel says

Alternative für Deutschland leader Alice Weidel posted her reaction to the vote on social media, calling it “a historic day for Germany, a victory for democracy,” after a non-binding motion calling for radical overhaul and tightening of the immigration rules passed in the Bundestag.

Deutsche Welle notes that it was the first time in the history of the federal German parliament that an AfD-supported motion was passed.

Members of Alternative für Deutschland party pose for a selfie after the vote.

Members of Alternative für Deutschland party pose for a selfie after the vote. Photograph: Nadja Wohlleben/Reuters

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Closing summary

Jakub Krupa

Jakub Krupa

… and on that note, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa.

Here are the three things to take away from today’s blog:

That’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. See you tomorrow.

If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.

I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party including co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla take a group picture with a mobile phone as they celebrate after winning a vote during a session at the German parliament.

Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party including co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla take a group picture with a mobile phone as they celebrate after winning a vote during a session at the German parliament. Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images

‘Historic day for Germany,’ far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel says

Alternative für Deutschland leader Alice Weidel posted her reaction to the vote on social media, calling it “a historic day for Germany, a victory for democracy,” after a non-binding motion calling for radical overhaul and tightening of the immigration rules passed in the Bundestag.

Deutsche Welle notes that it was the first time in the history of the federal German parliament that an AfD-supported motion was passed.

Members of Alternative für Deutschland party pose for a selfie after the vote.

Members of Alternative für Deutschland party pose for a selfie after the vote. Photograph: Nadja Wohlleben/Reuters

Back to Germany:

Speaking after the vote, SPD’s parliamentary party leader Rolf Mützenich said it was “a turning point,” and accused the CDU/CSU of “breaking the political centre” by seemingly carrying the motion with the votes of the far-right AfD.

Merz said that his party would bring a further draft bill on immigration, including rules on family reunification, on Friday. He said he was not looking to get majority with the AfD votes, and instead hoped that some of the mainstream parties would join him in backing the proposal or enter into talks on other solutions.

As Kate explained earlier (14:58), the Friday vote will not be on a motion, but a draft bill. If passed, it would be still subject to approval from the other chamber, the Bundesrat.

Serbian president confirms pardons of 13 protesters

Earlier today, we reported on the latest from Serbia after last night’s speech by president Aleksandar Vučić (9:46).

Since then, news agencies reported that he pardoned 13 people arrested during a string of recent mass demonstrations over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November.

According to a statement from the president’s office, published here, six students, a university dean and professor along with several other academics were among the pardoned. The decision will now be processed by the country’s justice ministry.

Dropping charges against those arrested during the protests has been a key demand among student organisers leading the demonstrations, AFP noted.

Separately, we wanted to note that president Aleksandar Vučić name-checked “the most corrupt, most deceitful Guardian of London” in one line with the New York Times during his press conference last night.

I am not interested in what the New York Times writes or what the most corrupt, most deceitful Guardian of London writes. I am not interested in what foreigners write.

Make of that what you will.

Serbian president not interested in 'most corrupt and deceitful' Guardian coverage – video

Interestingly, if you read the motion in full, it included a line accusing the far-right AfD of:

“using the problems, worries and fears caused by mass illegal migration to stir up xenophobia and spread conspiracy theories”

But that seemingly has not stopped the party from supporting the broader call to act on migration.

The five-point motion, passed today and available in German here, calls on the government to:

Vote result: 348 to 345

If you are wondering how close the vote on the key proposal was, 348 lawmakers voted in favour, while 345 votes against.

10 abstained.

Reminder, the motion is not legally binding on the government, but will increase pressure to act on migration and show CDU/CSU’s opposition leader Merz that there could be a parliamentary majority to force the government’s hand on this.

For the record, the opposition’s second motion, covering a number of specific proposals on data retention and sharing, strengthening intelligence services and proposing changes to criminal code, was rejected.

We will bring you more details shortly.

German parliament passes the opposition's motion on migration, asylum

The German opposition’s motion on “the five-point plan” has been adopted, despite strong criticism from chancellor Olaf Scholz.

We don’t have a detailed breakdown yet, but it is likely that it passed with the support of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland.

Will bring you more shortly.

The vote on the first CDU/CSU motion is under way.

'We have a massive problem with crime by foreigners,' Merz says, calling for urgent action

Responding to Scholz, opposition leader and favourite to be the next chancellor Friedrich Merz said that if the words of sympathy and condolences in the Bundestag are to be meaningful, they need “effective decisions to be taken.”

“In Germany we have a massive problem of crime committed by foreigners, particularly among asylum seekers,” he said.

In his comments, Merz sought to draw a clear distinction between asylum seekers and “people with migration background,” who he said “would not be right to mention in the same sentence as criminal asylum seekers.”

He rejected Scholz’s complaints about the state of law, by mockingly saying “you are not the highest notary of the republic; you are the federal chancellor.”

“If the laws are not sufficient, then you must make suggestions for changing the laws, and not explain what the existing laws cannot do,” he said.

Merz warned that “the entire European immigration and asylum system has become dysfunctional,” and the attacks in Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg made him determined to “really make every attempt” to change the situation.

“How many more people have to be murdered? How many more children have to fall victims to such acts of violence before you believe that this is a threat to public safety and order?,” he asked.

He argued the situation justified to use of extraordinary powers under EU treaties for “the maintenance of law and order and the safeguarding of internal security.”

He said that if his proposals get majority support, partially due to votes from the far-right AfD, that would make him “extremely uncomfortable,” but insisted this was necessary to deal with violence.

He told parliament that the sight of “cheering and grinning AfD MPs will be unbearable” but maintained that “a correct decision does not become wrong just because the wrong people agree, it remains right”.

He said he was no longer prepared to allow other parties to dictate what proposals and with whose support can be passed.

Friedrich Merz speaking at the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin.

Friedrich Merz speaking at the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin. Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP

The European Commission included restrictions on sales of video games and joysticks to Russia in its 16th package of sanctions on Moscow, the proposal document showed.

The restrictions would impact sales of consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox, the Nintendo Switch and Sony’s PlayStation.

“Video game controllers, gaming controllers, flight simulator controllers, gamepads, joysticks and other input units, for video game consoles or entertainment systems, either corded or cordless” should be restricted, the proposal said.

Scholz's speech in Bundestag on migration - snap analysis

Kate Connolly

Kate Connolly

Berlin correspondent

Listing Aschaffenburg as the latest in a string of attacks by migrants – in Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg – Scholz said he understood the shock and consternation that people felt, as well as vexation over the fact that “once again”, the attack had been “carried out by someone who shouldn’t have been here,” a reference to the fact that in several cases, the perpetrators had been due to be deported, but this had not happened.

“I understand anyone who says: ‘I’ve had enough,’ said Scholz, adding: “I too am enraged”.

But he went on to say that all four of the attacks “could have been avoided” under existing laws which had been tightened under the Scholz government, if they had been properly and swiftly implemented by the authorities in the various states in which the attacks took place, all of which are governed by the CDU/CSU.

Scholz said under his government many more deportations had taken place, including a planeload of Afghans, convicted of crimes in Germany, stating that Germany was “the only country in Europe which has been able to deport criminals to Afghanistan. It’s damned hard to do with a Taliban government but we managed it.”

He urged Merz not to fall into the trap of depending on the AfD for support to push through his motions to tighten Germany’s migration policy, citing in particular a letter written by the leaders of Germany’s Protestant and Catholic churches, warning that the party was departing from the ‘Christian’ in its name by supporting the motions.

He also warned of developments in neighbouring Austria, where the conservatives there have, he said, broken pre-election promises not to work with the far-right FPÖ, the Austrian equivalent of the AfD, but was now on the verge of entering a coalition with it.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP

German debate on migration and border controls - explainer

Kate Connolly

Kate Connolly

What is happening in the Bundestag this afternoon?

The conservative CDU/CSU alliance, under the leadership of Friedrich Merz, who according to opinion polls is the favourite to become Germany’s chancellor following elections on February 23, has submitted two motions which, if passed, could result in a 180 degree switch in Germany’s migration policy, and could have a ripple effect across Europe.

The sense of urgency around the issues, which have been dominating the political landscape for some time, and reflect the wider debate across Europe, are due to events last week in the city of Aschaffenburg in which a two year old girl and a 41 year old man were murdered when an Afghan migrant lunged at them in a park with a kitchen knife. The 28 year old who is in police custody had been due for deportation. He had also been receiving help for a psychological condition.

The circumstances around the attack – and the fact that it is the latest in a series of attacks involving migrants who were known to authorities – have prompted accusations of state failure on many levels, with plenty of people in positions of authority insisting it could have been prevented.

The motions put forward by Merz call for the rejection of all illegal migrants and asylum seekers, wherever they have come from, on all of Germany’s nine borders with its neighbours. The motions would also seek to broaden the powers of the security authorities to ease the process of rejection and deportation.

Scholz’s SPD/Greens minority government has refused to back the proposals, saying that it too has a raft of reform proposals on which the CDU/CSU has refused to engage at all, despite Scholz’s appeal for cooperation so that they could be pushed through before the election.

It’s important to note that Merz’s proposals would not put the government of Olaf Scholz’s SPDs and Greens under obligation to act on them. But if the conservatives’ motions got majority support in the Bundestag it would greatly escalate tensions between the CDU and Scholz’s government and would give Merz the upper hand in terms of trying to push the motion into law, the process of which could start as early as Friday.

The real drama around today’s debate though is about who Merz will get support from. If as it has signalled, the far-right populist AfD lends him their support, opponents of the CDU/CSU leader say he will have effectively broken the so-called ‘firewall’ – on which he has said he will stake his political fate – the promise, along with other mainstream parties, that he will never work with the AfD.

A poll shows that 66% of Germans support Merz’s plan.

If his motion is successful, what then?

The CDU/CSU could get a wafer-thin majority with the help of the pro-business FDP, and the AfD, which said yesterday it was planning to vote in favour of the motions. The backing of the left-wing conservative BSW, which had not yet publicly made up its mind by this morning whether it would support Merz, would also be needed.

If he loses, this will be a humiliating defeat for Merz.

The Bundesrat or Upper House’s backing would be required to approve the law. The earliest date for a next sitting of that house would be 14 February, nine days ahead of the general election. However, they are not likely to approve it because the CDU/CSU does not have a majority there.

But, once the election has taken place on 23 February, the political landscape could look decidedly different.

The CDU/CSU would have effectively laid the ground for the law and would be potentially in a position to adopt the law with a new coalition partner. This is not unlikely to be the SPD, as a junior partner in a grand coalition.

In which case it is expected that in order to make it more palatable for the SPD, the law could be watered down in parts. Seeing as a large number of SPD voters are in general in favour of tightening the law, the SPD might find its hand is forced so that it too will end up supporting an asylum stop.

Friedrich Merz speaking during a session of the Bundestag in Berlin.

Friedrich Merz speaking during a session of the Bundestag in Berlin. Photograph: Clemens Bilan/EPA

Teaming up with far-right 'unforgivable mistake,' Scholz warns opposition

Scholz says that, particularly with Trump in the US, the European unity is more important than ever as he accuses the opposition that their proposals would break that solidarity between member states.

He says that the EU’s new common asylum system will help protect the external borders better.

But he warns that if the opposition’s proposals pass, “all of this would be at risk” a she says: “if we withdraw from the European rules, others will too.”

He then directly addressed the issue of the “firewall” that means isolating the far-right, says “there has always been a clear consensus among all democrats” on this issue.

He calls the opposition’s openness to pass the proposals with the AfD votes would be “an unforgivable mistake.”

He further warns by drawing comparisons between Germany and Austria, warning that when the firewall falls, it opens the way for far-right parties to join the government.

Scholz addressing the German Bundestag.

Scholz addressing the German Bundestag. Photograph: Nadja Wohlleben/Reuters