German state cuts benefits for 'lazy' migrants after they refused request to help clear flood debris
- Migrants had been demanded to clean up flood debris for less than £1 an hour
The state of Saxony-Anhalt has cut the benefits of asylum seekers who refused to pick up debris following heavy flooding in east Germany for less than a pound an hour.
64 migrants had been written to by local authorities demanding they help clear rubbish and erect dykes for a wage of just 80 cents (68p) per hour after devastating floods in the area at the end of last year which saw hundreds of residents in parts of Germany forced to evacuate.
39 people agreed to help, while the rest, who are said to be from Syria, Afghanistan, Niger, Mali and Albania, failed to turn up.
The district council has now declared that the 15 asylum seekers who had no excuse to take part in the clean-up will have their asylum benefits cut in half to €232 (£195) a month for three months.
These benefits are meant to cover basic necessities, such as food, accommodation, personal hygiene and clothing.
Ukrainian refugees queue for food in the welcome area after their arrival at the main train station in Berlin, Germany, March 8, 2022
The state of Saxony-Anhalt has cut the benefits of asylum seekers who refused to pick up debris following heavy flooding in east Germany. Pictured: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke walk along a dyke made of sandbags as they visit Sangerhausen, where a flood dyke that is threatened to break, in eastern Germany at the beginning of this year
District councilor Andre Schroeder, who is a member of the Christian Democrat party, defended the decision saying: 'Anyone who seeks protection from us from other countries can be obliged to do work that serves the common good'.
According to the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act in Germany, if community service is refused without reason, the right to benefits is limited.
This comes as Germany struggles to manage migration and assist asylum seekers while also appeasing a growing proportion of voters who are being enticed by Right-wing politicians pushing anti-migrant rhetoric - a stark contrast from former Chancellor Angela Merkel's open border migration policy, through which she allowed one million refugees enter Germany in 2015.
The divisive policy saw the far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) enter the German parliament in the aftermath.
This comes just a week after Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said he was in favor of cutting social benefits for asylum seekers who enter Germany via another EU country.
'The Dublin system applies, according to which the EU state in which a refugee entered the EU is responsible for him. But many still come to Germany,' he said.
Asylum seekers are already entitled to support in the country when they first enter. 'They cannot expect to live off the solidarity of people here if they do not want to return,' he stressed. 'That is certainly controversial, but we must continue to address these pull factors that are currently attracting too many people to us irregularly', he added.
