The Bundestag will meet on Wednesday afternoon to vote on the Infection Protection Act. There had already been a lot of criticism of the draft law in advance.
While the parliamentarians are discussing, thousands of opponents of the corona policy have gathered in the federal capital to protest against the restrictions. You can follow the events on site in the live blog here.
AfD disrupts Bundestag debate with banners
At the beginning of the speech by Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), the AfD parliamentary group interfered with posters on which the Basic Law had been crossed out. Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) asked the AfD MPs to clear away the posters – the MPs complied. Showing posters is not allowed in parliament.
Federal Health Minister Spahn began his speech after a short delay. He defended the bill. The protection of health is not absolute, but it has been decided that it will gain a relatively greater weight in this pandemic.
Even if the numbers would decline slightly, he said: “We are not over the mountain yet”. It is now about the right balance, the right balance. He reiterated that there will be no compulsory vaccination in this pandemic. “You finally stop saying otherwise,” he said to the AfD MPs.
Schäuble reaffirms MPs’ right to be present
At the start of the Bundestag session, Bundestag President Schäuble had reaffirmed the right of all members to be present. Even if there is currently a certain distance between the seats due to the corona pandemic, there are more seats in the stands.
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“If necessary, you can also take part in the plenary session while standing,” said Schäuble. Everyone also has the right to speak. It is currently a matter of holding parliamentary deliberations and making decisions in difficult times on the basis of very different opinions, Schäuble added.
Union parliamentary group leader speaks of “parliamentary strengthening law”
At the beginning of the debate, the AfD called for the draft law to be removed from the agenda and for the coalition factions’ motion to be referred back to the committees. The request to change the rules of procedure was rejected by all parties in the Bundestag except the AfD.
The First Parliamentary Managing Director of the AfD, Bernd Baumann, criticized the presented law as “authorizing the government” and as “hasty messing around”.
Union parliamentary group manager Michael Grosse-Brömer, however, emphasized: “This law is not just a civil protection law. This law is above all a law to strengthen parliament. “
Gauland: “greatest restriction of fundamental rights in the history of the Federal Republic”
The chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, Alexander Gauland, sharply criticized the reform of the Infection Protection Act and accused the government of dividing society. “The Infection Protection Act is the greatest restriction of fundamental rights in the history of the Federal Republic,” said Gauland in the Bundestag.
The mistrust will explode, you can already see that on the streets and during the protests in front of the Bundestag. “These people stand up for their basic rights and do not have to be observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.”
Jan Korte, First Parliamentary Secretary of the Left. began his speech with criticism of the historical comparisons from the ranks of the AfD: “This is not a law that leads to dictatorship, and whoever claims that is mocking the victims of the dictatorship,” he said.
However, he was also dissatisfied with the draft law. Parliament should have been more involved, said Korte.
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Lindner spoke of a “list of restrictions on freedom”, the arrangement of which is not even tied to specific situations. “The draft does not provide any guard rails, but on the contrary gives the rulers a free ticket,” criticized Lindner. He insisted on a more differentiated approach to the corona pandemic. (Tsp, dpa, KNA, AFP)
