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WORLD NEWSWednesday 13 January 2016
Germany to ease deportation rules after Cologne attacks
FRANK JORDANS a suspended prison sen- German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, left, and Justice Minister Heiko Maas arrive for a
Associated Press tence would be grounds statement on a planned reform of the laws on deportation and sexual offenses at the Reichstag
BERLIN (AP) — Germany for deportation if someone Building, in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016.
will make it easier to deport is found guilty of certain
criminal foreigners follow- crimes. These include ho- (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
ing public outrage over the micide, bodily harm, sexual
New Year’s Eve assaults in assault, violent theft and inal foreigners.” asylum-seekers. Many were suspects. Separately, fed-
Cologne, officials said Tues- serial shoplifting. Youth sen- Maas said that changes described as being of eral police have identified
day. tences would be covered also would be made to “Arab or North African ori- 32 suspects, including nine
Authorities say 561 criminal too. Germany’s sex crime laws gin.” Algerians.
complaints have been filed A sentence of more than to ensure that victims who On Tuesday they appealed Algeria’s prime minister,
in connection with the as- one year would further in- are caught by surprise, or for anyone with photo or Abdelmalek Sellal, said dur-
saults, with about 45 per- crease the likelihood of de- who fear greater physical video material taken that ing a visit to Berlin on Tues-
cent involving allegations portation, de Maiziere said. harm if they resist assault, night to upload it to them day that “we as the Alge-
of sexual offenses, and “That’s a hard but right are better protected. so that they could evalu- rian state and people say
most of the suspects iden- response by the state to “This too is the kind of situ- ate it as part of their inves- that, if this is confirmed, it is
tified so far are foreign na- those who are seeking pro- ation we had in Cologne, tigation. unacceptable for us.”
tionals. Many asylum-seek- tection here, but think they where people were con- The assaults have height- Beyond the question of
ers who commit crimes cur- can commit crimes” with- fronted with a horde of ened tensions over Germa- foreigners who commit
rently avoid deportation out consequences for their men,” he said. ny’s migrant influx. Nearly crimes, Germany is keen
because the danger they right to remain in Germany, Police say most of the sus- 1.1 million asylum-seekers to ensure that migrants
face in their home country he said. pects in Cologne are be- arrived last year. who aren’t granted asylum
is considered greater than Justice Minister Heiko Maas lieved to be foreigners, Cologne police say they leave the country as quick-
the reason for deporting said that public pressure including at least some have identified 23 possible ly as possible.q
them. following the Cologne as-
“With this proposal we are saults had played a role in
significantly lowering the getting the plan agreed so
hurdles for the possible ex- quickly.
pulsion of foreigners who “We owe this to the victims
have committed crimes in of these serious crimes,”
Germany,” Interior Minister he said, adding that the
Thomas de Maiziere told measures were also neces-
reporters in Berlin. sary “to protect the over-
The changes, which have whelming majority of inno-
to be approved by the cent refugees in Germany.
Cabinet and Parliament, They don’t deserve to be
would mean that even lumped together with crim-
France:
Jewish leader asks faithful to forego kippa
PARIS (AP) — A leading Ammar said his decision to French capital, where the
Jewish authority in Mar- ask Jews not to wear the teen will be questioned.
seille, in southern France, kippa was the hardest of his The knife attack came four
asked fellow Jews on Tues- life. But he said he prefers days after a man armed
day to refrain from wearing “being criticized for making with a butcher’s knife was
their traditional skull cap to this decision than regret- fatally shot after authorities
stay safe after a machete- ting one day if by misfor- said he went after police
wielding teen attacked a tune something very grave at a station in central Paris.
Jewish teacher. occurs.” Ammar spoke on German authorities say the
Zvi Ammar, head of the Isra- TV stations BFM and iTele. man had lived at a shelter
elite Consistory of Marseille, Some Jewish leaders dis- for asylum-seekers in the
said he is asking Jews to agreed with Ammar’s ad- western city of Reckling-
go without the kippa “until vice, with one calling it hausen.
better days.” His call came “defeatist” and the Grand France is still reeling from a
a day after a 15-year-old Rabbi of France, Haim Kor- series of attacks in Paris on
Turkish Kurd attacked and sia, tweeting that “we must Nov. 13 that killed 130 peo-
wounded a Jewish teacher not cede to emotion,” re- ple and just marked the an-
on a street in Marseille — marks he made in an inter- niversary of attacks on the
France’s second-largest view on TV5. satirical newspaper Char-
city — then told police af- After the attack, an investi- lie Hebdo and a kosher
ter his arrest that he acted gation was opened by the grocery store which killed
in the name of the Islamic anti-terrorism section of the 17 people. In each case,
State group. prosecutor’s office in the the Islamic State group
claimed responsibility.q
