The political debate is becoming more heated. Exacerbations, provocations, insults – especially when it comes to the topic of migration. Bundestag President Bas calls for respect and warns that hatred turns into action.
Bärbel Bas has clear ideas about what political debates in this country should be – namely tough on the matter and respectful in tone. The SPD politician gave this to members of the German Bundestag weeks ago. Now she said in an interview with ARD capital studiothat it is not just about respect in the way MPs interact with each other, but also about respect for those who are being discussed.
For example when it comes to the topic of flight and migration. “We have to pay attention to the language,” says Bas. “I’m very worried that we’re talking ourselves into a xenophobic or misanthropic climate overall by making such exaggerations that simply generalize.” Just think of CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s claims that asylum seekers get dentures while Germans have to wait for an appointment.
Bas talks about her constituency, where people of foreign origin report that the social climate scares them and that they are practically sitting on packed suitcases. It is a big mistake to use language that is discriminatory, generalized and creates a climate in which people with a migrant background are afraid.
Hate can turn into action
The President of Parliament also believes that the debate is necessary. She is convinced “that this issue of how we deal with migration concerns many citizens in this country.”
But the discussions about this do not have to take place in an aggressive climate, because that would ultimately harm everyone and could lead to people thinking they have to turn hate into action. Bas reminds us of racist attacks in the early 1990s in Solingen and Mölln.
The Bundestag has the task of solving problems with laws
Today she speaks to local politicians and helpers in refugee work. You have to listen to them – and take them seriously. On the one hand, the municipalities because they wanted to accommodate people properly. And on the other hand, the volunteers who also reach their limits.
And Bas sees the German Bundestag as having a duty. After all, that’s what he’s there for: he should solve problems with his laws. Bundestag President Bas and her deputies are trying to ensure that the debates remain respectful in tone, despite the severity of the matter.