Martin Hikel: Neukölln’s outgoing mayor questions the idea of “anti-Muslim racism”. | EUROtoday

Neukölln’s outgoing district mayor Martin Hikel took a pointy stance towards his celebration in an interview. The SPD has a “credibility problem,” stated the previous Berlin state chairman of the “Berliner Zeitung”.

The SPD politician turned notably clear within the dispute over language and integration coverage. He “certainly” sees tendencies to deal with sure inhabitants teams in another way or to “wrap them up in cotton wool”. This is “a form of hypersensitivity”. Anyone who treats individuals in another way when committing crimes due to a migration background is “incapacitating” them. According to Hikel, the reason being a “certain uncertainty in dealing with diversity”. “Some are overly sensitive, others remain stuck in prejudices.”

Hikel additionally sharply criticized the time period “anti-Muslim racism”: “In my opinion, this term makes no sense.” His criticism: Two totally different classes of discrimination could be combined up. Criticism of Islam might due to this fact be interpreted in a racist approach – “and thus act as if the criticism were outside our democratic rules”. This would make an goal debate harder and make “necessary criticism of individual Islamic practices” harder.

This in flip performs into the arms of Islamist networks. At the identical time, Hikel emphasised: Most individuals who use these phrases don’t signify these extremist positions themselves. “But they adopt patterns of argumentation without ever questioning them.” Hikel stories that he himself was closely criticized throughout the celebration for his dealing with of Islam. He was accused of ignoring discrimination towards Muslims.

In reference to the case of an alleged gang rape in a Neukölln youth middle, Hikel stated that inside reporting chains “did not work properly”. Information “arrived far too late to the head of the department and also to the district office.” At the identical time, he emphasised that the accusation that no motion had been intentionally taken out of concern of stigmatizing the alleged Arab perpetrators had not but been confirmed “in this extreme form”.

But one factor is obvious: “There should not be any form of thwarting punishment or withholding measures out of misunderstood tolerance.” If a rape has taken place, it’s “completely irrelevant what origin the perpetrators come from. That can never be a reason not to act.”

In precept, Hikel warned towards undesirable developments in integration coverage. Neukölln is “often an early indicator of social developments”. He cited “increasing segregation” as an underestimated downside. At the identical time, uncertainty about one’s personal values ​​is an issue. This makes it harder to convey these values.

Hikel warns towards collaboration with the AfD and the Left Party

With regard to the AfD, Hikel reiterated that there needs to be no cooperation with the celebration. At the identical time, he warned towards condemning all AfD voters throughout the board.

Hikel can be vital of forming a authorities with the Left Party. This would imply that the SPD would quit its declare to be the defining power of the middle left. “I also see a fundamental problem with the Left Party: it does not manage to clearly distance itself from anti-Semitic positions within its own ranks. There are currents within the party that take a very one-sided stance and are in contact with highly problematic groups.”

Hikel, who doesn’t wish to run for district mayor once more, additionally justified his withdrawal with a scarcity of help inside his personal celebration. His political supply didn’t obtain the mandatory help in his district affiliation in an effort to “be able to go into the election campaign credibly”. Hikel continued within the interview that he was “not the right person for what the party in Neukölln currently wants.” With regard to the SPD as an entire, he stated: “The SPD has a credibility problem.” The celebration apparently not appeals to the “broad middle” “because we no longer know their realities and their fears.” This results in poor election outcomes like these lately in Baden-Württemberg or Rhineland-Palatinate.