Hey, Germany. It's legitimate to limit immigration
Just weeks after far-left candidates have won surprising victories in Democratic primaries for Senate and House in the United States, in Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Colorado, and New York City, the Alternative für Deutschland party has won a widely predicted victory in the election last Sunday for the legislature of Sachsen-Anhalt, one of Germany’s 16 federal states.
TL;DR
- Far-left candidates have seen recent victories in US Democratic primaries, while Germany's AfD has won an election in Sachsen-Anhalt.
- Traditional German parties refuse coalitions with the AfD, classifying it as 'right-wing extremist' primarily due to its stance on immigration and 'ethnic conception of German citizenship'.
- Voter dissatisfaction with immigration is fueling the rise of anti-immigration parties across Europe, including in France, Britain, and Italy.
- The author questions the moral equivalence drawn by the establishment between opposing immigration and the Holocaust, arguing that limiting immigration from culturally dissimilar sources is a legitimate policy concern.
- Liberal economist Noah Smith suggests liberalism needs a new philosophy of immigration, emphasizing that migration is not a human right and immigration must benefit the host country.
- Both European and American establishments are criticized for policies that have led to increased foreign-born populations and concerns about assimilation and crime.
- Several European countries are now tightening immigration policies, suggesting a shift away from the establishment's previous open approach.