The first African-born MP to enter the German parliament has announced he will not be standing in next year’s federal election, weeks after he revealed the hate mail, including racist slurs and death threats, he and his staff had received.
Karamba Diaby, 62, who entered the Bundestag in 2013 in a moment hailed as historic by equality campaigners, said he wanted to spend more time with his family and to make room for younger politicians.
Diaby said the racist slurs and death threats were “not the main reasons” for his decision, having frequently emphasised he would not be cowed by threats. But they are widely believed they have played a part.
He has increasingly faced racist abuse in recent years. His constituency office in Halle, Saxony Anhalt, has been an arson target, and has had bullets fired through the window. Some staff have faced blackmail attempts to stop them working for him and have been subjected to and threats, Diaby said.
At a minimum immigrants should be required to declare they respect basic norms and requirements in our societies, and breach of them could result in expulsion.
I’m thinking norms like respecting equal rights for women, respect our democracy, and respect other minorities, and respect that their religion is not more important than our laws.
I think to some degree the extreme right is rising because this lack of respect results in lack of respect the other way too. Which is harmful both ways, both to our democracy, and to the many immigrants that actually make an effort.
Really not too feasible. Al those eastern Germans can just lie and then vote for nazis and extremists anyway. You have to integrate in an hands-on approach or not let them in in the first place.