Recently, federal states reported an increased proportion of foreign criminals. Sahra Wagenknecht is now calling for action.
Party founder Sahra Wagenknecht calls for joint efforts by the federal and state governments against crimes committed by foreigners and for better equipment for the police. What is needed is an interior ministers’ summit in the Chancellery, which should also address “the problem of uncontrolled migration,” said the chairwoman of the new Alliance party Sahra Wagenknecht of the German Press Agency (dpa) in Berlin.
“If crime statistics show that crimes are disproportionately committed by people from certain immigration backgrounds, an Interior Minister must not make this problem taboo and downplay it,” said Wagenknecht. “The new figures should prompt the Interior Minister to immediately bring her ministerial colleagues from the federal states to the table.”
The police need better equipment, added Wagenknecht. “In addition, the social degradation of police officers promotes a climate in which criminals actually laugh at our constitutional state. Instead of placing police officers under general suspicion of being half-Nazis in many debates, the work of our police deserves significantly more respect and social recognition.”
Faeser worries and threatens consequences
Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia recently reported an increased proportion of foreign criminals. According to North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU), their number grew by 10.4 percent in the state in 2023. According to official information, with a non-German population of 15.6 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia, the proportion of suspects had already reached 32.8 percent in 2022 – not counting crimes under immigration law.
Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) said that the overall number of crimes is increasing is a “nationwide trend for which foreigners and immigrants are particularly responsible.”
The SPD and the Greens warn of general suspicion
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) then expressed concern and threatened consequences up to and including deportation. In both federal states, the SPD and the Greens also warned of general suspicion against certain groups.
The criminologist Dirk Baier classified the crime statistics in the “Spiegel” as follows: “Out of 100 Germans, around two to three are suspected of crimes. For foreigners it is around five to six. That makes it clear: whoever is calling for blanket measures against entire groups based on these numbers , this also affects the 94 percent who live here according to law and order.” It is also “complete nonsense” that the topic of foreign crime is taboo.
BSW wants to run for the first time in the European elections
Migration and internal security are likely to play a role in the upcoming election campaigns – and it is striking how Wagenknecht is positioning himself in this regard. Most recently, she had already made the far-reaching demand that all cash benefits be withdrawn from rejected asylum seekers without protection status.
The 54-year-old left the Left Party in October and founded the BSW, which is running for the first time in the European elections on June 9th. While Wagenknecht remains close to the positions of the Left when it comes to social and economic policy, she represents similar demands as the CDU/CSU and to some extent the AfD when it comes to migration and internal security.
BSW MP wants Wagenknecht as candidate for chancellor
In surveys, the very young party has had success with this mix. Nationwide, the BSW is around five percent. In Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg, where new state parliaments will be elected in September, the values for the BSW quickly reached double digits. At the same time, support for the AfD fell noticeably, especially in Thuringia.
The initial success triggers euphoria in the BSW – so much so that BSW Bundestag member Alexander Ulrich is now discussing Wagenknecht’s candidacy for chancellor. “In terms of popularity, Sahra Wagenknecht can easily keep up with Scholz, Merz, Baerbock and Habeck,” Ulrich told dpa. “People also recognize that Sahra Wagenknecht was right with her positions on migration, corona measures, energy policy and the war in Ukraine.” The poll numbers and the unity of the new party are thanks to Wagenknecht. “Sahra Wagenknecht is therefore suitable for any political office,” said Ulrich.
