Germany Did Not Announce Opening Sea and Land Ports to Refugees
The Claim
Germany officially announces opening all land, air, and seaports to receive refugees and travelers.
News posted on
Emerging story
Facebook accounts and pages have recently circulated alleged news that Germany has announced the country’s air, sea, land ports to receive refugees and travelers. These accounts have also included a link in the comments alleging it was the source of information.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulated news and found that it was fake. The news was not published on any of the German government websites. Nor was it mentioned in any credible news outlet.
Misbar found that the links provided as sources to the news do not clarify any details. Instead, they address different topics. Some of these links had the following titles: Free Immigration to Germany 2022: Explaining all Methods; Six Countries You Can Obtain Their Citizenship Easily and Quickly; Immigration and Work in Germany Now; Denmark, Sweden and Belgium Issue 4 Sudden Decisions, Including Deporting All Residents Without Exceptions.
Also, the latest news published on the website Germany’s Federal Ministry of Interior regarding refugees dates back to November 18. The news included Interior Minister Horst Seehofer after meeting his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Kamiński, and the Polish Border Guard representatives. Minister Horst Seehofer expressed his stand with Poland regarding the refugee crisis on the border with Belarus, pointing out that the German federal government has taken a clear position by supporting Poland in securing the external borders of the European Union.
The German government has further denied on Feb. 26 statements by the current Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. He said that former Chancellor Angela Merkel had agreed to receive 2,000 refugees from Belarus.
Photo Description: The screenshot shows a piece of news titled, “Germany denies Lukashenko’s claims that she had agreed to receive refugees.”
“It’s 2,000 people, that’s not a big problem for Germany,” Lukashenko said during a visit to a refugee shelter in Brusje on the border with Poland, arguing that “Chancellor Merkel agrees.”
The claim’s circulation coincides with the migration crisis from Belarus to Poland. On October 29, the German Foreign Ministry and the Federal Border Police announced that 4,900 illegal immigrants entered Germany in the last four weeks through Poland from Belarus.
The German government had asked Iraq to stop outbound flights to Belarus, a country that has become a source of clandestine immigration to European Union countries. The German Foreign Ministry described the bilateral talks held in this regard with the Iraqi side as successful.
Translated by: Ahmed N. A. Almassri
