Asylum law – Voucher systems – Payment cards
The return of the voucher system as a payment card – a (re)look at the history and continuity of the voucher system and beyond
Abolition of the right of asylum and introduction of the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act
In the 1990s, a wave of racist violence swept through Germany. Spurred on by Bild & Co, racist attacks and pogroms became more frequent, the most famous being the ones in Mölln and Rostock Lichtenhagen. In this climate, the CDU/CSU, SPD and FDP agreed on a de facto abolition of the right of asylum and, in the course of this, also introduced the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act (AsylbLG) in 1993. [1] [2] [3]
In 1997, the AsylbLG also restricted access to financial resources for asylum seekers with the introduction of the principle of benefits in kind. Instead of cash, many people only received vouchers or chip cards that could only be redeemed in certain stores and for certain goods. This regulation was not only a massive restriction of self-determination, but also a sign of social exclusion. Stigmatization was inevitable – anyone who paid with a voucher was immediately identified as a “stranger”.
Chip cards were used for administration, disenfranchisement and stamping a good 20 years ago.
On top of that, a much more restrictive residency requirement. Than is implemented today with the residency requirements.
Anti-racist shopping
A broad movement of initiatives organized “anti-racist shopping”, where people in solidarity with refugees met in front of stores at agreed times and shopped together. We still remember the packed S-Bahn trains and Regios from Berlin to Brandenburg and the heavy backpacks full of shopping for the shared flat or the house project.
Through the political commitment of those affected, solidarity activists and social institutions, with protests on the street, in political committees, court proceedings, the “Free Flood” of the RZ, the “Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants”, and much more, it was possible to put a stop to this inhumane practice.
Well-tried methods are now being used. Petitions, incendiary letters, demonstrations and legal action. And what used to be anti-racist shopping is now barter and donation campaigns. Let’s find more actions and be inspired by ideas from past struggles.
In Brandenburg, the voucher system was only finally abolished in 2014, after remaining in force in some districts, such as Oberhavel-Mittelmark, until 2014. In Berlin, the voucher system was “already” ended in 2007, and it was hoped that the time of exclusion and disenfranchisement was over.
The reader of the Chipkarten Ini and the documentation of the voucher boycott in Henningsdorf provide a deeper insight into processes and strategies.
The idea was never completely dead; in Erding (Bavaria) there was the so-called Kommunalpass from 2016 to 2020, very similar to the current payment card. The bankruptcy of Wirecard put an end to it there.
But the joy was short-lived…
Repetition of history
We are now experiencing a shocking repetition of this history: the introduction of payment cards under the AsylbLG. The first region in Brandenburg to reintroduce these payment cards was the district of Märkisch-Oderland in May 2024. This district is already known for its repressive treatment of refugees. Instead of giving people the freedom to decide for themselves how to spend their money, they are once again being forced into a system that disempowers and isolates them. The payment cards are not just a technical means, but another tool of control and restriction that tramples on the dignity of those affected.
These developments should not be viewed in isolation, but rather in the context of a social shift to the right that has also been observed in Germany and Europe in recent years. The rhetoric of exclusion and discrimination has gained momentum, politicians are outdoing each other in their demands for even more restrictive asylum policies and the introduction of payment cards is just another example of how populist movements are trying to undermine the rights of refugees. Instead of promoting an inclusive and equal society, a climate of fear and mistrust is being stirred up. The payment cards are not only a sign of control, but also a symbol of a policy that continues to discriminate against and isolate people in need.
Payment card: voucher system in technocratic guise
There are not only outrageous parallels between the voucher system of the 1990s and today’s payment cards. The payment card is the same system in a new guise. We must not allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated. It is time not only to know history, but to learn from it and take action!
Expansion of authoritarian social policy
The first municipalities and districts are already introducing so-called compulsory work – or rather forced labour – for refugees and the mind games are already going further: the payment card should ideally soon be extended to the next marginalized and undesirable groups of people. “So you don’t have to be a prophet to predict that interested circles from [the “center”, author’s note] half right to far right will ensure that the payment card will not find its limits in the AsylbLG. Sooner or later, it will also be transferred as an authoritarian project to SGB II and possibly to basic child benefits in order to enforce the obligation to work, to nag, control and sanction social benefit recipients – and to minimize the largely fictitious “pull factors” of social benefits.”[4]
Hold against it:
Let’s stand together and fight for an end to payment cards! It’s time to raise our voices in solidarity and stand up for a fairer future. Because as history shows: It’s been done before – and we must not let it repeat itself.
Never again is now! This does not only apply to the AfD!
