Two dozen migrant and anti-racist groups have penned a letter demanding that German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer change his stance on migration or leave office following his comments in the wake of protests in Chemnitz.
“An interior minister for everyone should not divide the society any further but instead clearly take a stand for the core values of our country,” read an open letter titled “Not our interior minister.” It was signed by more than 20 groups, including several associations of Turkish, Polish and Serbian communities, as well as pro-migration, pro-diversity and anti-fascist groups.
It called out Seehofer particularly over statements he made following massive protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz in the wake of the murder of a German man, which was allegedly committed by two asylum seekers. Clashes between right-wing protesters and leftists resulted in some 20 people being injured, according to the police. At that time, Seehofer said he would join the protesters if he was not a minister.
Another point of contention was Seehofer’s support for Hans-Georg Maassen, chief of Germany’s domestic security agency, who said that he was “skeptical” about media reports of right-wing extremists chasing down foreigners during the protests in Chemnitz. While many politicians slammed Maassen over what they called a failure to defend the constitutional order, Seehofer said he had “full confidence” in the domestic security chief.
The development comes as Germany witnesses a wave of protests following migrant-involved deaths. Apart from Chemnitz, a new series of protests was triggered last weekend in the city of Kothen, where a man died after a scuffle with a group of Afghans. The victim died of heart failure, according to prosecutors, but two migrants were detained, sparking public outrage both from right-wingers and leftists.
On Tuesday, German police opened more than a dozen investigations after a rally in the city of Halle saw scuffles with police and demonstrators exhibiting Nazi salutes and slogans.