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[Text/Guardian.com Lai Jiaqi] On August 26, local time, German Chancellor Scholz visited the western city of Solingen where the knife attack occurred and promised to step up efforts to repatriate illegal immigrants. The knife attack by Syrian illegal immigrants last week has aroused the German public's dissatisfaction with the government and given the far-right party an opportunity to attack the ruling coalition on the issue of immigration before the key state elections.

"This is terrorism, terrorism against all of us." Scholz laid flowers at the scene of the crime and said, "We will do everything we can to ensure that those who are not allowed to stay in Germany are repatriated and deported." He promised that there are legal and practical difficulties in deporting illegal immigrants and criminals, but his government will take stronger measures to solve this problem.

At the 650th anniversary festival of the city of Solingen held on August 23, local time, a 26-year-old Syrian man attacked others with a knife, killing three people and injuring many others. The man surrendered to the police on the evening of August 24.

The German Federal Prosecutor's Office said they believed the suspect had joined the extremist group Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the knife attack in Solingen in a post on the social media platform Telegram on August 24.

According to reports from German Bild, Politico Europe and other media, the suspect came to Germany in 2022 and his asylum application was rejected last year. He should have been deported to Bulgaria, but when the German authorities took action, the man was not in his refugee residence.

After the attack, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party quickly said, "Germany should immediately change its immigration and security policies." It is worth noting that the British newspaper The Guardian said that when the AfD issued this call, the suspect had not yet surrendered to the police.

Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has also become increasingly tough on immigration, wrote a letter to Scholz calling for an end to allowing refugees from Syria and Afghanistan to enter the country and for stepped-up efforts to deport illegal immigrants who have not been granted asylum.

The attack has put political pressure on Scholz. Politico Europe said on August 26 that the eastern German states of Thuringia and Saxony will hold elections on September 1, and Scholz's ruling coalition of Social Democrats, Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens are all trying to win enough votes to reach the 5% threshold required to enter the state parliament.

The report believes that Scholz's promise is unlikely to calm the fierce voices on immigration. The three eastern states that are about to hold elections have always been key states for the ruling coalition and other parties to compete for, and immigration issues are the focus of the election. This year, right-wing forces have been rising in these places, and the Choice Party, with its anti-immigration philosophy, is leading or close to leading in local polls in these three states.

Reuters reported on August 26 that the AfD seized on the attack to sell its anti-immigration policies to voters during the campaign. The Social Democratic Party, to which Scholz belongs, may be hit, while the Christian Democratic Union may benefit from the attack.

Bjorn Hoch, a far-right politician of the CDU and the party's main candidate in the Thuringia state election, wrote on X that "in view of the daily violence against foreigners, we can no longer say that such incidents are unexpected and surprising," and "the situation will only change when those responsible are voted out of office." CDU leader Merz also called on Scholz to "implement your oath of office and avoid harming the German people."

In October 2023, Scholz promised to step up the expulsion of illegal immigrants. In early June this year, an Afghan refugee killed a police officer who was maintaining order with a knife at an anti-immigration rally in Mannheim, Germany. At that time, Scholz reiterated this promise, but in the election a few days later, the ruling coalition suffered a historic defeat.

Singapore's English magazine "Thinking China" published an article in February this year, saying that the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party has risen rapidly in the past decade and once became the country's largest opposition party. The Scholz government has caused dissatisfaction in handling internal affairs including immigration issues, and its support rate has dropped to a low point, which may cause Scholz to lose the position of prime minister this year.

The article further analyzed that the European immigration problem is already deeply rooted, and has been further exacerbated by the economic crisis in recent years. The epidemic has dealt a huge blow to the global economy, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has pushed up energy prices. Due to financial difficulties, many European governments are unable to curb inflation, and public dissatisfaction has intensified. "When Europeans look for scapegoats, immigrants are seen as invaders." In addition, the issue of immigrant welfare and treatment has catalyzed a strong anti-immigration wave in Europe, exacerbating social confrontation, ethnic conflicts and political extremism.

Peter Neumann, a professor at King's College London and a British counter-terrorism expert, wrote on X on August 25 that Germany is at a crossroads and the attacks involve more than just elections in three states. "If democratic politics does not demonstrate the ability to take action, opponents of democracy will win."

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