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- Organizations urge Chancellor Friedrich Merz, state leaders to prepare legal, administrative and financial protections for migrants and asylum seekers
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN (AA) - Migrant organizations in Germany on Monday urged the government to prepare safeguards against potential threats to migrants and asylum seekers under a possible AfD-led administration in Saxony-Anhalt.
In an open letter, the organizations called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and state premiers to establish legal, administrative and financial protections before any government involving the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) takes office in the eastern state.
"In the coming weeks, a party whose state branch has been classified as confirmed right-wing extremist by the domestic intelligence agency could join government for the first time," the organizations warned.
"It would then have a say in core areas such as police, schools and security. But there is still no concept for protecting the people who would be threatened by such a government."
The letter was signed by the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), the Federal Conference of Migrant Organizations (BKMO), Umbrella Organization of Migrant Organizations in East Germany (DaMOst), and the Network of Migrant Organizations in Saxony-Anhalt (LAMSA).
The organizations outlined three demands aimed at protecting migrants and asylum seekers if an AfD-involved government introduces measures they consider unconstitutional.
First, they proposed a joint federal-state commission to assess risks to minorities and develop protective measures before any AfD-involved government takes office.
"The commission should determine how individuals, families, civic actors and institutions can be protected from far-right violence and from the actions of a far-right government," the letter said.
"It should also clarify in advance how the constitutional state will respond should a state-level government attempt to test the limits of the constitution."
Second, the groups called for an exemption from residence restrictions that generally require asylum seekers to remain in their assigned federal state for a specified period.
They argued that asylum seekers facing threats of racist violence should be permitted to relocate, including from states such as Saxony-Anhalt.
Third, the organizations proposed a federal protection fund for threatened nonprofit associations, counseling centers and communities.
The fund would finance security measures, protective advice, emergency planning and temporary safeguards, with organizations able to apply directly to a federal office without state approval.
The demands followed the AfD's strong performance in Saxony-Anhalt's Sept. 6 election. The party secured 43.8% of the vote and 39 of 83 parliamentary seats -- three short of the 42 needed for an absolute majority.
During the campaign, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund advocated rapid deportations of migrants required to leave Germany, mandatory work for asylum seekers and converting reception centers into deportation detention facilities.
The AfD is holding talks on forming a government, with the smaller left-wing populist BSW signaling openness to cooperation on some issues, while other parties have ruled out a coalition.
A vote to elect the state premier is expected in December.
Nationwide, the AfD has polled at around 29% to 30% in recent surveys, ahead of Merz's conservative CDU/CSU alliance.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency has monitored the AfD and various members over suspected anti-democratic activities.
In some states, AfD regional branches are classified as a “proven right-wing extremist organization,” with agencies saying parts of the party promote a racist, ethnic understanding of national identity incompatible with the country’s democratic constitutional order.
Ayhan Şimşek
