Breach of the Firewall and Human Rights Implications

Concern is rising in Europe, as well as the global community, as it becomes apparent that the “firewall” in the German Parliament has been breached. The “firewall”, acting as a barrier between the influence of right-wing parties and German legislations, has been a crucial component of German politics and its decline has raised a multitude of concerns over human rights.

What is the firewall?

Brandmauer, or firewall, refers to the agreement between major German political parties to protect the government and the legislative process from far right influences. The ideology stems from Germany’s experiences with far right extremism, under the regime of Hitler. Post World War II governments resolved to prevent such a catastrophe from occurring again, by forming an implicit agreement that far right political parties will not be allowed to gain dominance in the German Parliament and exert their ideologies over the legislative process. This includes a refusal to cooperate with far-right parties, with the ideology being mainly driven forward by four major parties: Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/ Christian Social Union (CSU), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Green Party and Left Party.

Under the policy, parties are severely discouraged from voting in the Parliament for motions proposed by far right parties, asking for far right support to pass their resolutions, etc. In recent years, the looming threats of right-wing extremism have grown bigger in the form of Alternative for Germany (AfD), which continues to gain more support and consolidate its position as a prominent party in German politics. AfD focuses prominently on anti-immigrant, anti-foreigner policies, and advocates for making Germany “only for the Germans”. It champions mass deportation and detainment of immigrants, as well as fortification of German borders and potential German expansion. It also supports making Germany into an official Christian state, being specifically against allowing the practice of Islam within the country.

Breach of the firewall

While cracks have been appearing in the façade of political solidarity for a while, recent occurrences show that the collapse of the firewall has accelerated. Most prominently, in recent elections, AfD emerged as the second largest party, receiving over 20% of the votes. Further back, AfD was also successful in passing an anti-immigration, anti-asylum resolution in the Parliament, backing majority party CDU in securing the support for a non-binding proposal.

While there has been widespread backlash and protesting against AfD’s increasing presence, the major question remains, how will this impact the large immigrant and refugee population of Germany? As of 2024, Germany is home to 2.3 million refugees, being the third largest refugee receiver in the world.

Given AfD’s push for extremely stringent immigration policies, with immediate deportation and sealing of German borders being a priority for them, this raises ambiguities of the future status of immigrants and asylum seekers in the country.

Effect on Human Rights

Problems of discrimination against immigrants and foreigners, specifically racism and xenophobia, have already been notable in Germany, with incidents of hate crime rising, and even naturalized citizens being targeted. Corresponding with a gradual rise in xenophobia, the most apparent concerns include the incidence of violent crimes, as well as discrimination. There has been a documented increase in the number of politically motivated attacks, not only against immigrants but also against Jewish people, with a 22% increase in reports of racial discrimination.

The changed circumstances surrounding immigration may continue to worsen, as AfD continues to gain prominence and propagate stringent anti-immigration measures. Notably, AfD has called for all immigrants who have not entered properly to be immediately detained and deported.[1]  This has the potential to seriously jeopardize the rights of immigrants who may not have proper documentation, or are in the process of obtaining it. Further, increasing discrimination has the possibility of reducing employment opportunities, with institutionalization of such ideologies also potentially leading to a reduction in aid programs, as claimed in the AfD manifesto.

This would prove to be even more catastrophic for asylum seekers, from nations such as Syria and Iraq, who may be turned away or even handed back to their nations of origin.  The safety of asylum receivers is also now under scrutiny, with 218 attacks against asylum accommodation facilities being reported in 2024.

Future Outcomes

Despite protests and political condemnation, the results of the recent election seem to be evidence of rising right-wing sentiments in Germany. With parties such as AfD capitalizing on economic problems to build their support base, fuelled by conservative ideology, there is a swing by young voters towards right-wing parties.

This may have disastrous effects for minority and immigrant rights in the nation, as the social and political climate continues to move towards a larger anti-immigrant attitude. Specifically, this poses as a huge problem for Germany’s substantial immigrant and refugee population, who will be facing increased political resistance against established pro-immigrant structures and institutions.

Conclusion

In the backdrop of increasing right-wing presence on a global scale, the skyrocketing of conservative sentiment in Germany is a matter of grave concern. Right wing extremist parties, who adopt extreme hardline stances against basic aid and support for immigrants, as well as explicitly espouse anti-secular, anti- democratic beliefs, have proven themselves to be a major threat to the rights, safety and welfare of immigrants. While there is no decisive conclusion at the moment as to how the wave of right-wing popularity in Germany will affect policies, their rise to prominence is undoubtedly a major hurdle in the way of equal rights and security for all.

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