Germany vows to expel foreign nationals who glorify, promote terrorism

BERLIN

Germany’s Cabinet unveiled new legislation on Wednesday to quickly expel foreign nationals who glorify or promote terrorist crimes.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said with the new legislation they would like to take tougher action against those who praise terrorist acts on social media.

“Terrorist acts cause unimaginable suffering. Glorifying such acts not only lacks any humanity; the brutalization on the internet also fuels a climate of violence that can encourage extremists to commit new acts of violence,” she said in a statement.

“That is why, in addition to stricter criminal prosecution, we also need stronger measures with regards to the immigration law. We are now creating these instruments. Anyone who does not have a German passport, and glorifies terrorist acts here, must be expelled and deported,” she said.

Under the proposed legislation, approving or glorifying a single terrorist act on social media would be a sufficient basis to cancel a person’s residence permit and deport them.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center left-liberal coalition government earlier this month came under growing pressure from opposition parties to deport extremists after an attack in Mannheim where a police officer facing a knife-wielding attacker was killed.

Several extremists praised the terror act on social media, causing an uproar among politicians who have called for legal changes to quickly expel foreign nationals who commit terrorist crimes or praise them on social media.