The German government could ban people who have been anti-semitic from becoming German citizens. This was according to the German Federal Justice Minister, Marco Buschmann, who was speaking to Bild am Sonntag, who said there would be tough measures against naturalising immigrants showing antisemitic behaviour.
Buschmann also stressed Germany’s historic responsibility towards its Jewish population.
‘We are taking precautions against naturalising antisemites,’ he said. In his vision, even minor offences, such as insults, would be scrutinised to determine if they have an antisemitic motive.
He said that those found to harbour anti-Semitic motives would then be ineligible for German citizenship. Buschmann added, ‘Anyone who agitates against Jews has a particularly strong motive for deportation and should certainly not receive a German passport’.
Since the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel, Germany has witnessed a surge in anti-Semitic incidents, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowing to ‘defend and protect’ Jewish life in Germany.
Expressing his dismay, he highlighted the disturbing spread of anti-Semitism ‘around the world and, shamefully, also here in Germany’, in the wake of the recent events in the Middle East.
Last week, Friedrich Merz, the leader of the main opposition CDU party, proposed that upcoming citizenship reforms should include a requirement for immigrants to sign an agreement recognising Israel’s right to exist, as a prerequisite for German citizenship.
The CDU has expressed scepticism over the government’s citizenship propositions. It contends that the governing coalition is attempting to diminish the value of the German passport and dilute the criteria for integration.