Family policy
The AfD wants “welcome baby money” only for German citizens
A welcome deposit of 2,000 euros – but only for babies with German passports? This is what the AfD demands. The SPD reacted with sharp criticism.
According to the AfD in the Lower Saxony state parliament, future newborn children should receive a welcome bonus of 2,000 euros – but only if they have German citizenship. This was proposed by the AfD parliamentary group, which will be discussed in state parliament next week.
For the third child and each additional child, the welcome allowance must be increased by 500 euros each. In addition, there should be a monthly family allowance of 125 euros for German children living in Lower Saxony for the first three years. Both benefits are only intended for families who have had their main residence in Lower Saxony for at least one year at the time of birth.
SPD: AfD divided into “good Germans and bad Germans”
When asked, AfD lawmaker Pekan Lilienthal said he did not see the restrictions on German citizens as discriminatory. “Our group wants to provide incentives for Germans to have more children,” he said. AfD MP Vanessa Behrendt has called for a “baby welcome allowance” in the summer and bemoaned the birth crisis. Therefore, the state must create incentives for families.
The parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group, Wiard Siebels, reacted angrily. With the AfD proposal, “innocent babies will be sorted into good Germans and bad Germans” in ethnic thinking, Siebels said. “What does the AfD want next: seats on buses separated by nationality? Seats separated by skin color?”
dpa
