Germany is exploring revoking the citizenship of individuals deemed “terror supporters, antisemites, and extremists”—provided they hold another nationality, Schengen.News reports.
According to planning documents meant to shape the new coalition government’s agreement, authorities are committed to reforming citizenship laws. The proposal states:
“We will examine under constitutional law whether we can revoke the German citizenship of terror supporters, antisemites, and extremists who call for the abolition of the free and democratic basic order, if they hold another nationality.”
Currently, discussions are underway between the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) to shape policies on immigration and integration. However, differing views have led to heated debates.
SPD politician Dirk Wiese, who is involved in the working group on domestic affairs, law, migration, and integration, defended dual citizenship as a success for his party. He noted that while the SPD protected the dual citizenship policy, the CDU/CSU had sought to roll it back.
Some SPD politicians argue that revoking citizenship based on antisemitism and extremism could lead to unequal treatment of dual nationals in Germany.
Bremen’s mayor, Andreas Bovenschulte, voiced concerns that this policy sends a problematic message to Germany’s five million dual citizens—implying that their citizenship is less valuable than that of single-nationality Germans.
A Palestinian-born dual national living in Berlin echoed these concerns, stating:
“The situation is very tense. It could become unpleasant for people like me.”
A major challenge remains how authorities will define and determine who qualifies as an extremist or antisemite.
Similar discussions are taking place in other European countries, with the Netherlands and Denmark also considering stricter measures against individuals committing antisemitic offences. However, Germany’s proposal remains under debate, with no clear decision yet on its implementation.