High praise for tuenews INTERNATIONAL from Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Justice and Migration Marion Gentges during a visit to the editorial office on Wednesday (July 31): „Your work is important for society.“ The CDU politician came to the district administration office at the invitation of Tübingen District Administrator Joachim Walter to find out more about the project, which is unique in Germany.
tuenews INTERNATIONAL very successful
tuenews INTERNATIONAL is a success story, said the District Administrator. In 2022, the editorial team reached a very large number of people with more than five million clicks. For almost ten years, refugees have been writing current news for refugees, which is translated into several languages. They are supported by volunteer coaches – retired journalists. The editors address topics that are of great importance to refugees in their everyday lives, emphasized Managing Director Wolfgang Sannwald. Editor Reem Kamel-Al Sagheer gave an example from her own experience. She had researched practical tips on how to reconcile motherhood and studying.
Less money for language courses
Minister Gentges took more than an hour to talk to the editorial team. The discussion focused on topics that refugees are currently dealing with on social media. Language courses are very important for integration and naturalization, said author Lobna Alhindi: „People want to do it.“ But there are long waiting times and the courses have little to do with everyday life. Now the federal government wants to cut the funding for this by half. Alhindi asked whether the state government could step in. Minister Gentges offered little hope. The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for this. The budget negotiations were difficult. All ministries had been asked to make savings, the minister regretted.
Fears of deportation and expatriation
The topic of freedom of expression was discussed intensively. The reason for this was the German government’s plan to deport refugees more easily following likes for posts with terrorist content on social media. It was feared that even expatriation would then be possible. Freedom of expression is a valuable asset and is guaranteed in any case, the minister emphasized. However, there are limits if the statements are criminal offenses such as incitement to hatred. The law has not yet been passed. It is currently being discussed, Gentges assured.
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Die baden-württembergische Ministerin der Justiz und für Migration Marion Gentges beim Besuch der Redaktion von tuenews INTERNATIONAL. Foto: tuenews INTERNATIONAL / Martin Klaus.
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