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Germany issues entry ban to Austrian far-right activist Sellner

Radical Austrian nationalist Martin Sellner has been banned from entering Germany, it emerged on Tuesday, days after he was deported from Switzerland.

Martin Sellner, former spokesman of the far-right Identitarian movement, speaks to journalists in front of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna upon arrival at the so-called Akademikerball (Academics dance ball) organized by the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPOe) on February 16, 2024.
Martin Sellner, former spokesman of the far-right Identitarian movement, speaks to journalists in front of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna upon arrival at the so-called Akademikerball (Academics dance ball) organized by the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPOe) on February 16, 2024. Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP

Sellner, a leader of Austria’s white pride Identitarian Movement, posted a video of himself on X, formerly Twitter, reading out a letter he said was from the city of Potsdam.

A spokeswoman for the city authorities confirmed to AFP that an EU citizen had been served with a “ban on their freedom of movement in Germany”.

The person can no longer enter or stay in Germany “with immediate effect” and could be stopped by police or deported if they try to enter the country, the spokeswoman said, declining to name the individual for privacy reasons.

READ ALSO: Who is Austria’s far-right figurehead banned across Europe?

“We have to show that the state is not powerless and will use its legitimate means,” Mike Schubert, the mayor of Potsdam, said in a statement.

Sellner caused an uproar in Germany after allegedly discussing the Identitarian concept of “remigration” with members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) at a meeting in Potsdam in November.

Reports of the meeting sparked a huge wave of protests against the AfD, with tens of thousands of Germans attending demonstrations across the country.

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Swiss police said Sunday they had prevented a hundred-strong far-right gathering due to be addressed by Sellner, adding that he had been arrested and deported.

The Saturday meeting had been organised by the far-right Junge Tat group, known for its anti-immigration and anti-Islamic views.

The group is also a proponent of the far-right white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory espoused by Sellner’s Identitarian Movement.

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IMMIGRATION

Asylum applications fall in Germany

The number of asylum applications in Germany declined 20 percent in the first half of the year, according to a media report. But despite the fall, Germany still recorded the most applications in the EU.

Asylum applications fall in Germany

A total of 115,682 applications were made in the first six months of 2024, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported, citing previously unpublished figures from the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA).

Most asylum applications in Germany come from Syrians (29 percent), Afghans (18 percent) and Turks (ten percent).

According to the report, refugees from Syria and Afghanistan often apply for asylum in Germany. Among Syrian refugees, 50 percent applied for asylum in Germany, while among those from Afghanistan, the figure was 48 percent.

READ ALSO: Why asylum seekers in Germany will soon have limited access to cash

In the European Union, plus Norway and Switzerland, asylum applications have declined slightly, but remain at a high level.

In the first six months of this year, 499,470 asylum applications were submitted – a decline of two percent compared to the same period last year.

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