Posters branded with the emblem of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Kabul, have sprung up around Afghanistan trying to warn locals off choosing the nation as a target for migration.
Debunking common myths about life in Germany which the authorities believe serve to make the country seem more appealing to Afghans, the posters are stark with their blank-canvas design with Arabic glyphs spelling out key messages in local languages Dari and Pashto.
Many of the posters deliberately target the lies told to would-be migrants by human traffickers, and expose the rarely discussed truth about the way in which the migrant crisis is exploited by people smugglers for profit. The frustration many migrants feel upon reaching Europe, the richness of which has been grossly exaggerated to them by smugglers in order to pocket their transit fees — which can exceed £10,000 each — is often clear to see.
One poster proclaims the common misconception “Germany grants immediate citizenship and unlimited residence permits”, before clarifying “Wrong! Germany does not grant immediate citizenship or unlimited residence permits.
“People whose asylum application has been rejected in a legally binding way have to leave Germany, and if necessary, will be deported. Assertions to the contrary are rumours and misinformation deliberately spread by human traffickers. By spreading such lies, human traffickers knowingly put people’s lives in danger”.
#RumoursAboutGermany :https://t.co/Xr4zz1zC77 pic.twitter.com/Iy9kkcyLw5
— Germany in Afghanistan (@GermanyinAFG) November 15, 2015
Another poster reads “Working in Germany?”
“The German Government does not provide refugees with jobs. It often takes many years before a refugee is allowed to work legally in Germany”.
In a simple message, another gives the stark warning: “Do not believe the rumours and false information deliberately spread by human traffickers about the allegedly easy trip and the easy life in Germany.
“Do not risk your lives by trying to flee to Europe. Human traffickers are criminals who are only interested in money. They don’t tell the truth and don’t care about human lives”.
Announcing the campaign at the end of last month, the German Federal foreign office said the campaign was in reaction to the “unrealistic ideas” about asylum life in Germany which many Afghan migrants had as they arrived in Europe, reports Die Tageszeitung. The simple messages on the posters are accompanied with web links and QR-codes, taking interested Afghans to more detailed facts on the embassy Facebook page.
The move is the latest such by European governments which are unwilling to take legislative action to prevent mass migration, resorting instead to wars of words in an attempt to save face in the European migrant crisis.
Breitbart London reported last week on a similar plea by Swedish justice and migration minister Morgan Johansson for migrants to consider going elsewhere.
Speaking on television, the minister asked migrants to please “stay in Germany”.
Follow Oliver Lane on Twitter: Follow @Oliver_Lane or e-mail to: olane@breitbart.com
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