Tuesday March 30th 2021
“Massive Threat”
Syrian Alaows gives up candidacy for the Bundestag
In North Rhine-Westphalia, Tareq Alaows, who had fled Syria, made headlines by running for the Bundestag. But now he gives up his plan – he fears for his safety.
The activist and Green politician Tareq Alaows, who once fled Syria, is giving up his candidacy for the Bundestag. “The high level of threat for me, and especially for people close to me, is the most important reason for withdrawing my candidacy,” said a statement from his office. Alaows had announced at the beginning of February that he would run for election in the constituency of Dinslaken / Oberhausen in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the information, it was the first Bundestag candidacy for a refugee.
The announcement states that Alawos had “massive experiences of racism” that were “terrifying”. “My candidacy has shown that we need strong structures in all parties, politics and society that counter structural racism and help those affected,” he is quoted as saying. “Unfortunately, in our society there is a lack of non-discriminatory spaces in all areas of life,” said Alaows. He calls for a change and thanks for the support that he has received outside of his party.
Alaows now wants to withdraw from the public for his own protection and that of those around him “for a certain period of time”. He will also not answer press inquiries about his withdrawal. He came to Germany as a refugee from Syria in 2015 and found a new home in North Rhine-Westphalia, as he tells in an election video that appeared on Twitter at the beginning of February.
Learned German with the Basic Law
Of the Deutschlandfunk reported that the 31-year-old lives in Berlin, where he works for a project by artists and refugees. He does not yet have German citizenship, which would be a prerequisite for entry into the Bundestag. He told the broadcaster that he expected it to be issued shortly. He also plans to move to his constituency.
In the election video, the young politician says that as a member of the Bundestag for the Greens, he wants to campaign for human rights and give the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Germany a political voice. He tells of his escape from Syria and his arrival in Germany including accommodation in a gymnasium in Bochum.
As a result, he campaigned for the rights of refugees and organized demonstrations for the Seebrücke association for the rescue of shipwrecked refugees on the Mediterranean Sea. Among other things, he learned German by translating the Basic Law. He studied law in Syria and worked for the Red Crescent aid organization for years.
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