German states open to revoking dual nationality of citizens committing antisemitic crimes

Six German federal states are open to revoking the German citizenship of dual nationals who commit antisemitic crimes, a recent survey by FOCUS found.

Of the 16 German federal states, Bavaria, Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse. and Rhineland-Palatinate would consider changing the citizenship law.

One of the requirements for citizenship, clause 10.1.1.1.3.1, concerns “Germany’s special historical responsibility for the National Socialist injustice and its consequences, especially for the protection of Jewish life.”

This stipulates that an individual who contravenes Germany’s legal commitment to the protection of Jews may not be eligible for citizenship.

A citizenship revocation would be an amendment to this new law, which passed on June 27.

'They must lose their German citizenship'

Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) told FOCUS that simply declaring commitment to Jewish life was not enough: “From our point of view, Germans with dual nationality who have been convicted of a serious crime endangering the state must lose their German citizenship.”

This, Herrmann added, could include “a serious act of violence motivated by antisemitism.”

Of the remaining 10 states, Saxony-Anhalt, Bremen, Lower Saxony, and Berlin were critical of the suggested amendment, and the other six did not respond to FOCUS.

However, Lower Saxony’s Interior Ministry said that revoking citizenship was “not the right instrument in the fight against antisemitism.”