GERMANY: And rightfully so

Germany has reportedly been displacing Syrian, Afghan and African Muslim migrant-wannabes from their shelters to make room for the influx of real refugees from war-torn Ukraine…while most Muslim countries are still refusing to take in any of their fellow Muslims as refugees.

PressTV US-based Foreign Policy magazine recounted the story of helpless Afghan families which arrived in Germany as refugees fleeing the Taliban rule but were quite recently expelled by the German government to make room for incoming Ukrainian refugees. Reports say Ukrainians are being given better housing and accommodation, while Afghans are being evicted from their “homes.”

The German government grants asylum seekers temporary residence that is re-evaluated every six months. But it often does not approve extension and eventual asylum, depending on the situation in their home country. Most Afghans evacuated since last August, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, skipped this process entirely, immediately receiving three-year residency permits.

“This means that soon after their arrival, Afghans fell into the same category—and are treated—as asylum-seekers who have been granted asylum and who have already been living in Germany for years, able to speak the language and to navigate the system,” said an unnamed social worker.

These Afghans are now being displaced by the German government to make room for a large flood of Ukrainian war refugees who are arriving in Germany. (Unlike the Afghans, who are content to live the rest of their lives on German welfare benefits, Ukrainians want to return to their country ASAP)

“The evictions purposefully weren’t publicized. Some people had lived in their homes for years and were ripped out of their social structures, including children who were moved to locations far from their respective schools,” said Tareq Alaows, a board member of the Berlin Refugee Council.

Berlin said Afghans were evicted from the so-called “arrival centers” where they should only be staying for a short time. But some families had been living there for years, while others were living in accommodation other than arrival centers…all of whom continue to receive government welfare instead of working.

The eviction decision was made by Berlin’s Senate Department for Integration, Labor, and Social Services. The department argues that the move is “based on operationally necessary and difficult considerations” and that there is no alternative because Ukrainians, including many women with children, needed a roof over their heads and a bed.

According to surveys, Germans favor admitting Ukrainian refugees over Afghans and other Muslims. A poll taken last year found that 60% of respondents didn’t want their government to take in any more refugees. Even as then-Chancellor Angela Merkel announced plans to welcome tens of thousands of Afghans, Armin Laschet, the leader of Merkel’s CDU party, told voters that 2015 “must not be repeated,” referring to Merkel’s decision to welcome around a million Middle Eastern and African migrants.

However, 91% of Germans in March supported taking in refugees from Ukraine. This, combined with Poland and Hungary – normally staunch opponents of immigration – taking in hundreds of thousands of displaced Ukrainians, has prompted liberal pundits and activists to accuse European nations of applying“double standards” to refugees, depending on their country of origin.