German Officials Call for Syrian Refugees To Go Home: 'We Will Charter Planes and Give Them £824 Each'

Throughout Europe Syrians have been celebrating the fall of the government of Bashar al-Assad. In response public figures in Germany and Britain have called for an end to accepting Syrian asylum seekers and returning those who have already arrived. Several European countries have already suspended asylum claims from Syrians, including Germany, Austria and Britain.

"We Will Charter Planes"

Alice Weidel, a key representative of the anti-mass immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said that any Syrian in Germany celebrating the fall of Assad "evidently no longer has a reason to flee", and "should return to Syria immediately".

Her call was echoed by Jens Spahn, a former health minister under Angela Merkel, who famously opened the doors to mass immigration from Syria and elsewhere. Speaking to N-TV, Spahn said, "For everyone who wants to go back to Syria, we will charter planes for them, they will get a starting fund of 1,000 euros (£824)."

Official figures show that there are just shy of a million Syrians living in Germany, more than any other European country, with many also becoming citizens. While just 6,700 Syrians became Germany citizens in 2020, in 2023 the figure rose substantially to 75,500.

Questions Remain About Integration

Other German officials have indicated they would like the Syrians to stay, with Deputy Interior Minister, Juliane Seifert, praising Syrians as "a group that has significantly above-average educational qualifications."

Bavarian Interior Minister, Joachim Hermann also praised many in the Syrian community as being "superbly integrated" but noted that this was by no means universal. Speaking on Deutschlandfunk radio he also said, "It is clear that there are also people who have been here for 10 years and don't have a job and haven't integrated well, and then it's right to help them return to their homeland."

"No More Syrians"

Britain, which is estimated to have around 30,000 Syrians in the country, has also seen calls for the return of refugees.

Last week Reform MP Richard Tice asked in the House of Commons what measures the government would be taking to help Syrians return to their home country and also called for a suspension on asylum applications from Syria, something which has now come into effect.

Activists against mass-immigration made similar statements. Carl Benjamin, founder of the popular Lotus Eaters podcast, said on X in response to a video of Syrians in Manchester celebrating the fall of Assad, "They got what they wanted, and good for them. Now, it's time for them to be returned to Syria." The Lotus Eaters podcast also posted a video on YouTube simply titled, "No More Syrians".

Uncertain Future For Syria

The situation in Syria remains very uncertain. While Assad's government was toppled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group that has historical connections with al-Qaeda, it is by no means certain that HTS will be able to assert its control over the whole country.

Armed forces from Turkey and Israel have already made incursions into the country, and Kurdish groups also control large sections of Syrian territory.

Christian Minority In Danger?

There are also concerns about what any new regime could mean for religious minorities in the region. Assad, while considered by many to be a tyrant, was a secular tyrant. Hailing from the Alawite minority, his rule ensured relative safety for minorities, such as Christians, from Islamic extremism.

The fate of the Iraqi Christian community after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 is a stark example of what can happen when secular tyranny is replaced with Islamic terrorism. It's believed that in 2003 Iraq was home to 1.4 million Christians. Following the US-led invasion and the conflict with ISIS and other Islamist groups, that figure is now believed to be just 250,000.