On the 13. September 2015 are already many legends, the most popular told the Journalist Robin Alexander in his Bestseller “The Driven”. Therefore, the commands were on that Sunday already, the Bayer close-Austrian border.

thousands of Federal police officers were for this purpose, the legal opinion authorized the step. The heads of all security agencies, from the Federal police about the criminal office to the intelligence services, urged the Minister of the interior Thomas de Maizière, finally. 14 at the Christian was a Democrat. After several phone calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, however, he was at 17.30. Border controls, Yes, refoulement of refugees no. Merkel, according to the legend, had set itself against de Maizière.

Legally controversial

for Three years, has not been de Maizière of this narrative. Now, a year after his departure as Minister of the interior, he explains in a Chapter of his book to “Govern” for the first time, his point of view. It is contrary to both the critics of Merkel’s refugee policy, as well as those who want to see him as a hero, who “refuses to, unfortunately in vain” against the Chancellor.

Merkel and he had opened at the beginning of September by no means the limits of””, begins to de Maizière. The borders were rather long in the open. In August, a week, tens of thousands were refugees in Germany, hundreds of thousands had long been on the Balkan route. The desire to let the refugees in an uncontrolled manner into the country and to spread rapidly, is not assumed to be in Berlin, but especially from the Bavarian border communities, the CSU, the head would have nothing more feared than a large refugee camp just outside your doorstep.

On the day when Germany, the border started controls officially, the 13. September 2015, the project is legally controversial. It report be with him, deemed it possible, or even mandatory, the refugees on the national border to reject. The majority of its lawyers, however, had been of the opinion that European law forbid a rejection without examination of asylum claims. Because the situation was legally inconclusive, he decided to finally politically against the closure.

He explains to him the book of his decision: Thomas de Maizière was from 2013 to 2018, the German Minister of the interior. Photo: Keystone

Horst Seehofer, the former CSU leader, Bavarian Prime Minister and today’s successor to de maizière as interior Minister, condemned the Policies of the “rule of injustice”. Who knows de Maizières Prussian sense of duty, you can imagine that it is likely to have violated no charge more than this. According to vehemently contradict now Seehofer, to name ironically, without this: “When a Minister joins us after long discussions a legal opinion and makes a decision that he thinks is lawful, which, in retrospect, but some people like it, then the allegation of a legal breach is ehrabschneidend.”

“Ugly pictures”

De Maizière explained in detail why he closed the borders. The “ugly” images, such as German policemen with shields, batons and tear gas refugees at the Crossing of the border to prevent would not have to endure the, at the time, very helpful, enthusiastic country, he says. Also, the expectation that refugees would be turned back then, had been completely alien world. Rather, it would have formed right on the border giant wild refugee camp.

“I was convinced that we would have given up after a few days in the face of these images and the border controls carried out, as we have from the beginning,” writes de Maizière. “However, a great defeat of the rule of law and the police would have been action. (. . .) If you decide something, you have to its consequences also. Otherwise, the decision prefer that.”

That he makes no attempt to conceal the influx of refugees sceptical to stand than others. “We have been shooting very fellow,” said he to the “image”-newspaper, the moods during the crisis and the initial euphoria meant in the same way as the hysterical swing after the new year’s eve assault of Cologne.

De maizière’s statements triggered strong reactions. Seehofer condemned the criticism as an “objectively wrong”, even though he had not yet read any line in the book. Bavarian local politician, outraged by the accusation: While Berlin is not just warm words had come they would have had to at the border just act.

critics of Merkel’s refugee policy, see in de maizière’s statements is further evidenced by the “gigantic government failure” and “illegal mass migration”. Merkel’s supporters defendant, however, that de Maizière’s statement of the “rule of injustice” contradicts it is only now that you’ve set in right-wing populist circles.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 15.02.2019, 09:57 PM