In a debate on the comprehensive security package of the Black-Green government coalition in the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament, the opposition blamed the government and the authorities for failures. “It was not the right to asylum that failed in the Solingen attack, but the state government,” said Jochen Ott, the SPD opposition leader.
“The Solingen assassin should not have been in this country on the day of the crime. If that had been the law, he would have been deported to Bulgaria long ago. “But the North Rhine-Westphalia authorities could not do that,” Ott criticized. There is no proper deportation management in the country. Before taking new measures, the existing law must first be enforced.
The opposition party does not participate
The measures announced, including the introduction of data exchange, are an admission that the government is not properly organized when it comes to security issues. “We do not have up-to-date information on internal security,” he told Chancellor Hendrik Wüst (CDU). Ott also criticized the opposition for not being included in the package of measures from the beginning.
Almost three weeks after the terrorist attack in Solingen, the black-green government coalition in North Rhine-Westphalia has agreed on a far-reaching security package. Prime Minister Wüst announced it in the plenary session. The reform package consists of dozens of measures, including strengthening the Constitutional Protection Agency, increasing surveillance of potential extremists, and enhancing data sharing between authorities. The state cabinet approved the security package on Tuesday.
FDP under criticism
Regarding the FDP, Henning Hoene said, “The Solingen attack could have been prevented under the existing legal situation.” Solingen was possible due to the failure of the authorities, and this is the responsibility of the state government. “No one should get involved in the debate because there are no legal options,” the FDP politician said.
“After two and a half years, the Wüst method, which allows you to get beautiful images without an engine room, has reached its limit,” Höne said. The asylum process has not been shortened by a third, as Wüst claims, but by a fifth, from 24 months to 19 months. In Rhineland-Palatinate, it takes three and a half months.
Attack on Solingen
“If you want a real expulsion minister, I’m happy to help you,” AfD MP Markus Wagner said of the “asylum summit cosmetics.” North Rhine-Westphalia has the largest number of people who are forced to leave the country rather than being deported.
On August 23, a man stabbed three people and injured eight others at a city festival in Solingen. The suspect, a 26-year-old Syrian, is currently in custody. He was supposed to be deported last year, but failed. The terrorist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack.
