»And for special cases there is a hardship provision in the new immigration law.«

Wolfgang Thierse (SPD) has long been calling for more protection for the victims of extreme-right violence. He has set a unique tone in his capacity as Bundestag President with his suggestion to »grant permanent residency rights to foreigners who have been attacked by right-wing extremists.« Regarding the social analysis of the causes of right-wing extremism, he remarked in a Bundestag debate »that it is no longer a case of a marginal phenomenon, but a danger infecting the very heart of democratic society. Xenophobic attitudes have become almost the norm for a quite significant number of people.« In an interview with D-A-S-H, Wolfang Thierse speaks of his commitment to the residency rights issue and discusses what must be achieved in politics and society in order for these rights to be realized.

The umbrella association of the victim counseling centers, agOra, sees the creation of residency rights for the victims of racist violence primarily as a political signal which should be understood as a reaction to the attacks and the climate of racial prejudice which promotes them. How would you explain today your corresponding demand of May 5, 2001 (in the newspaper, »Magdeburger Volksstimme«)?

Wolfgang Thierse: What outraged me most of all at the time was that in the case of a fatal victim of a Nazi hunt in Guben, the trauma suffered as a result of extreme-right violence was invoked as a reason for the victim’s planned deportation. That’s cynical and plays into the hands of the extremists. I am therefore pleased that it didn’t come to deportation in the end.

How is your point of view and your commitment to this issue reflected in your political action?

From early on I was in favour of regulating immigration in a sensible way – both as regards controlling and limiting immigration as well as increasing efforts to integrate the immigrants. At the same time, as you know, I support and encourage civic action against all forms of right-wing extremism and xenophobia.

Did you also make these demands when the immigration law was being revised?

The immigration law completely changes the previous so-called »foreigner policy«. It includes political persecution motivated by racism and also non-state persecution which is expressly mentioned for the first time in this law. Also opportunities for protecting the victims are clearly improved.

Why couldn’t a corresponding article be written into the immigration law?

I am confident that the immigration law accommodates the concern of protecting victims of racist violence without needing an explicit provision. And for special cases there is a hardship provision.

Does the provision on hardship cases stipulated in the law offer an adequate solution?

I very much hope so, as the new provision on hardship cases can be implemented in view of urgent humanitarian or personal considerations, making it theoretically possible for victims of racist violence to avail themselves of it. The concrete implementation of this provision now rests in the hands of the individual federal states.

How realistic in your estimation is the future realization of the demand for residency rights for victims of racist violence?

In view of the fundamental changes which have been set in motion by the immigration law, I don’t expect that those in need of treatment, let alone chronically ill victims of violence, will be deported in the future without difficulty.

What must be done in this respect in politics and society?

If civic action groups, churches, and counseling centers continue their efforts to ensure that in such cases the full scope of legal interpretation is exploited to the attack victim’s advantage, this will be very helpful in creating a system which is humane in its practice.

The work of the victim counseling centers has been made possible as a direct result of Civitas sponsorship. To what extent do you believe that the continuation of such a program against right-wing extremism is dependent on the outcome of the Bundestag elections?

I’m careful on that one. I can only recall that one of the first decisions in Saxony-Anhalt after the change in government was the cessation of public funding for the most important initiatives against right-wing extremism in that federal state.

Can anti-racist initiatives and projects against the extreme right continue to count on your support?

Yes.

Next article: Regional Victim Counseling Projects