“We sacrifice democracy at the altar of naive tolerance by offering safe havens for illegals in Berlin”

Austria's Europe and Integration Minister Claudia Bauer (ÖVP) has sharply criticized the possible future red-green-red state government in Berlin. The reason is the debate about migration following the recent violent riots in France. “We are sacrificing our free Western democracy at the altar of naive tolerance by offering safe havens for illegals in Berlin and legalizing masses of illegals in Madrid,” Bauer told Politico.

According to the exploratory paper from the Left Party, the Greens and the SPD, Berlin should become a “safe haven” for new migrants: “We will set up state reception programs and relaunch expired reception programs that will enable people in need to enter Berlin safely,” it says. The three parties are also planning to significantly expand the right to vote for foreigners in the federal capital.

The minister had already criticized Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his migration policy in the summer. Now she and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) linked the riots in France to migration. At the weekend, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Hungary's Prime Minister Péter Magyar also defended their countries' restrictive migration policies. Magyar specifically referred to the riots in France.

Bauer warned against describing the violence as “protests.” “These are organized gangs of Islamists and radical leftists who arson and destroy with the aim of destabilizing our free Western democracy, destroying European history and questioning social coexistence,” she said. The minister called on European democracies to defend themselves “uncompromisingly”. She spoke out in favor of tight EU external borders, procedures at the external borders and the consistent deportation of people who had no right of residence.

Bauer also called for a ban and criminal prosecution of “political Islam” including its organizations, clubs and individuals. Islamism and extremism have no place in Europe, she said. Decision-makers should not trivialize the situation with “naive tolerance”.

Ferdinand Knapp is a reporter at “Politico” Germany.