German Cabinet backs deportations for praise of terrorism

Germany's government has agreed on a draft law making it easier to deport people who promote "terrorist crimes." The legislation lowers the bar at which foreigners can be returned to their country of origin.

Critics have likened the measures to tactics employed by authoritarian regimes

German government ministers on Wednesday agreed on draft legislation to simplify the deportation process for individuals who express support for terrorism, Germany's Interior Ministry said.

The move comes in reaction to online hate posts that celebrated the Hamas attack on Israel and other terrorist incidents.

What is the proposed deportation change?

The draft law would allow deportation if someone is considered to have approved of a single terrorist offense. No criminal conviction would be necessary for an individual to be deported.

Expressions of approval could include not only posting of hateful content on social media but also marking a hate post with a "like" or other positive reaction on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had announced plans to change the law after a deadly knife attack on an anti-Islam rally in Mannheim, in which a policeman died.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser put forward the changes, arguing that Berlin was "taking tough action against Islamist and anti-Semitic hate crime online."

"It is very clear to us that Islamist agitators who are mentally living in the Stone Age have no place in our country," Faeser told the Funke media group before Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

However, critics say the draft excessively clamps down on freedom of speech and said the measures were similar to tactics used by authoritarian regimes.

rc/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)