As from 16 September, and for a minimum of six months, Germany shall control all accesses and exits of the country. This is a significant measure, not only because of the country’s weight in Europe, but because it is at the centre and has many limitations. But it's not an entirely new practice. There are police controls at the borders of Germany with Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland respectively, which control their borders on their own and not on the order of Germany. From next week, however, Germany will do the same with the passages that give to France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.

It is envisaged as the last exceptional measure in its capacity as a member of the Schengen area, since the movement of citizens under the convention must be completely free. The government, for its part, has said that the objective of this controversial measure is to control "irregular immigration" and "strengthen the security of the country". That is what the German Ministry of the Interior has said to the European Commission.

Rise of the Far-Right in Germany

On 1 September elections were held in the Thuringia region, and since the Second World War, for the first time the ultra-right received the largest number of votes in a German region: Alternative to Germany (AfD) obtained one in three votes. Elections were also held in Saxony, where it was second behind the Christian Democrats CDU.

The two regions are located east of the country, especially on the border with Saxony, the Czech Republic and Poland. Most of the migration flows from there, and economically, for example, they are considerably weaker than in the Berlin area. This affects the rise of the extreme right, which has suffered some setbacks.

The leaders of Thuringia in the AfD party are known to be more radical than those of the party’s central structure. The most prominent is Björn Höcke, who won the elections in Thuringia. He claims truthfulness. That is, the deportation of every migrant, as if each country were only "of the native citizenship". Firstly, it says that the "illegal migrants" must be expelled, as there is an urgent need for this; and secondly, every immigrant based in the country, to "ensure the existence of the country".

History of the Solingen attack

Last Friday, 23 August, a young Syrian stabbed three people and at least eight people were injured in an operation in the city of Solingen, in southeastern Germany. The following day, the aggressor came to the police station and took charge of the attack, which was "revenge" by Muslims from Palestine and elsewhere, such as the Islamic State (IS), among other charges.

The far right, for its part, capitalized on the attack on the doors of the elections in Thuringia and Saxony. Dozens of demonstrations were organised and racist messages and anti-immigration speeches were disseminated.

No developments in the Schengen Area

Since the pandemic, the presence of the French Police on the administrative border between Irun and Hendaia has increased. At least nine people have died in the attempt to cross the border, according to the same sources. As if that were not enough, France has asked Spain to do "more".

France says it does so "for the sake of security", and it says so since 2016, following the attack in Nice (France). Since then, in addition to police controls aimed at the Spanish State, the gendarmes also hardened the steps to Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, among other places. The COVID-19 pandemic was the excuse and the situation has continued to this day. To a greater or lesser extent, border controls at these steps remain in force, as is the case in Italy, which has been particularly hardened in recent times to prevent immigrants from the Mediterranean.