German state cuts benefits for ‘lazy’ migrants after they refused to help clear rubble from floods
- Migrants forced to clear flood debris for less than £1 an hour
The state of Saxony-Anhalt has cut benefits by less than a pound an hour to asylum seekers who refused to clear rubble after heavy flooding in eastern Germany.
64 migrants have been sent letters by local authorities asking them to help clear rubbish and build dykes for just 80 cents (68p) an hour, following devastating flooding in the area late last year, which forced hundreds of residents to evacuate parts of Germany.
39 people agreed to help, but the rest, from Syria, Afghanistan, Niger, Mali and Albania, did not show up.
The district council has now decided that the asylum benefits of the 15 asylum seekers who had no reason to take part in the clean-up will be halved to €232 (£195) a month for three months.
These benefits are intended to cover basic needs such as food, housing, personal hygiene and clothing.
Ukrainian refugees queue for food in the reception area after their arrival at the central train station in Berlin, Germany, March 8, 2022
The state of Saxony-Anhalt has cut benefits to asylum seekers who refused to clear rubble after heavy flooding in eastern Germany. Pictured: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke walk along a sandbag dike during their visit to Sangerhausen, where a flood dike is in danger of breaking, in eastern Germany earlier this year.
District councillor André Schroeder, who is a member of the Christian Democratic Party, defended the decision, saying: “Anyone who seeks protection from us from other countries can be forced to do work that serves the public interest.”
According to the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act in Germany, the right to benefits is limited if community service is refused without giving a reason.
This comes as Germany struggles to manage migration and support asylum seekers, while also satisfying a growing number of voters seduced by right-wing politicians pushing anti-migrant rhetoric. This stands in stark contrast to former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-border migration policy, which allowed a million refugees into Germany in 2015.
The divisive policies eventually led to the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party entering the German parliament.
This comes just a week after Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann said he was in favor of cutting social benefits for asylum seekers who enter Germany via another EU country.
“The Dublin system applies, whereby the EU state in which a refugee entered the EU is responsible for him. But many still come to Germany,” he said.
Asylum seekers are already entitled to support in the country when they first arrive. “They cannot expect to live off the solidarity of people here if they do not want to return,” he stressed. “That is certainly controversial, but we must continue to address these pull factors that are currently drawing too many people to us irregularly,” he added.