Advertisement
Supported by
Since the recent murder of a police officer, Mannheim has been synonymous with a hard line on deporting those who are denied asylum and commit violent crimes.
By Sarah Maslin Nir and Christopher F. Schuetze
Sarah Maslin Nir reported from the city of Mannheim, Germany, and from the market square where a police officer was killed. Christopher F. Schuetze reported on the political reaction from Berlin.
The leafy market square, surrounded by Middle Eastern restaurants in a quiet city where almost a portion of the citizens are of immigrant origin, appears to be the latest position likely to provoke the explosive new wave of nationalist reaction in Germany.
But it was in Mannheim that prosecutors say an Afghan man stabbed six other people in May during an anti-Islam demonstration, killing an officer who intervened. The reason has not yet been determined. But the defendant’s death and the fact that his asylum claim was denied years ago have triggered calls for the deportation of some refugees. These sentiments were once considered messages necessarily reserved for the far right.
That this could happen only in Mannheim, a diverse network of more than 300,000 inhabitants known for its careful layout along a grid as a “city of squares,” shook Germany. This has been particularly painful for the city’s formerly Muslim population, where, by some estimates, about one in five people is of Turkish origin.
The political debate is openly about refugees, but in the case of German Muslims, many have said they feel they are about to become a target. This fear has increased since January, when a report revealed a secret meeting of far-right members discussing the expulsion of even legal citizens of immigrant origin.
Some have expressed fears that events in Mannheim have damaged a dam.
Thank you for your patience while we determine access. If you’re in gamer mode, exit and log into your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access.
Already subscribed? Log in.
Do you want all the Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement