Dear Mr. Kai Wegner,
Dear Ms. Iris Spranger,
Dear Ms. Cansel Kiziltepe,
Dear Mr. Dietmar Woidke,
Dear Ms. Katrin Lange,
Dear Members of the Berlin House of Representatives,
Dear Members of the Brandenburg State Parliament,
Dear Members of the District Council,
Dear District Councillors,
We, the No to the Berlin/Brandenburg payment card initiative, are firmly opposed to the payment card. We call on the state government of Berlin and the districts and independent cities of Brandenburg to stop or abolish the implementation of this system. Despite numerous appeals from civil society organizations and human rights activists, the federal states have decided to introduce this discriminatory
system anyway. At a time of increasing anti-migrant rhetoric and
racist violence, we want to amplify the voices of the people who are most affected by
the consequences of this policy.
The payment card as an instrument of control and exclusion
As you probably know, the payment card was primarily introduced to control the
payments made by refugees as part of their asylum procedure. There is a
monthly limit of €50 cash that can be withdrawn from the card. The
card can only be used to pay in stores that accept debit cards, which excludes many smaller
(often cheaper) stores, cafés, bakeries or markets. It is impossible to conclude contracts or make online payments with
the card or to pay legal or
medical bills without prior authorization from the respective authorities at
.
Return to the degrading voucher system under a new name
Refugee initiatives have fought for decades against the degrading instrument of the
voucher system. Until 2015, refugees received vouchers that could only be redeemed in
certain stores and regions in Germany. Thanks to
successful protests, the voucher system was largely discontinued. In apparent
disregard of the concerns expressed, the German government decided to introduce the
payment card, which has a different name but is based on the same racist
system and the same reasoning as the voucher system. We call on the
responsible authorities in Berlin and Brandenburg to
prevent the payment card in their municipalities. It is an instrument of segregation, control and repression – moreover,
it is associated with disproportionately high costs.
Migration cannot be prevented by financial restrictions
It is obvious that the payment card was introduced for highly dubious reasons
. It is argued that the card serves as a deterrent to further migration to
Germany. However, migration research and the Scientific Service of the German
Bundestag have long since proven that financial factors are not sufficient
to explain why people embark on dangerous and often life-threatening journeys
. The payment card will not stop people from seeking refuge in Germany
– it will only deprive them of even more rights, dignity and freedom of choice and
thus further fuel right-wing narratives.
Violation of Agenda 2030 / UN Sustainable Development Goals
The introduction of the payment card and the restriction on sending money to other countries to support the family
also contradicts the Agenda 2030 and the
Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which clearly recognize the importance of money transfers to
the countries of origin for reducing inequality and poverty. The
Agenda 2030, to which Germany is also committed, therefore calls for the removal of barriers
and the reduction of fees for international remittances. There is also scientific
evidence that refugees and asylum seekers rarely transfer money and if they do, then only
very small amounts of 20 to 30 euros, as their financial resources are very limited
. The question therefore arises as to why, contrary to empirical evidence and the
recommendations of international organizations, the financial freedom of asylum seekers
is restricted to such an extent.
High costs and additional bureaucracy for local authorities
The payment card also means a considerable financial and administrative burden
for the districts. It will lead to additional work for the responsible offices
, whose staff are already overloaded. The exorbitantly high costs of the card are also particularly inappropriate in view of the massive budget cuts. Brandenburg, for example, has already spent 1.9 million euros on the introduction of the payment card, although this sum does not include the ongoing maintenance costs. The costs for Berlin are estimated at 5 million euros per year. This is very wasteful, as there has long been a simple, inexpensive and practical alternative: transferring benefits to a basic account. This solution would significantly reduce costs compared to cash payments and at the same time guarantee the financial self-determination of those affected – without making the federal states and local authorities dependent on international financial service providers such as Visa and Mastercard.
Violation of fundamental rights and data protection
The payment card is highly questionable in legal terms and violates fundamental human rights and the dignity of refugees. It is based on the segregating and unconstitutional Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG), which effectively excludes asylum seekers
from the regular social systems. While the benefits granted under the
AsylbLG are already well below the minimum subsistence level, the
payment card further violates Article 1 of the Basic Law by prohibiting recipients
from spending this little money freely. The Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfG) ruled
in 2012 that human dignity may not be relativized for political purposes
. The misuse of social benefits to deter
migration is therefore inadmissible.
The payment card will increase discrimination under the AsylbLG and thus violate the
State Anti-Discrimination Act (LADG) – as confirmed by the Berlin Senate Ombudsman’s Office
for the LADG with regard to the restrictive cash limit. Not only is
the restrictive cash limit an unjustified obstacle, the payment card also further restricts the
daily lives of recipients by prohibiting them from paying freely in stores
or making bank transfers. The payment card is an instrument of control
and repression and interferes with the recipients’ right to self-determination. This is
part of a deepening crisis of the EU border regime and its hostile asylum policy
as well as a continuation of state violence and exclusion.
Finally, data protection officers, such as the State Commissioner for Data Protection
Brandenburg Dagmar Hartge, have expressed serious concerns about the payment card,
particularly with regard to the so-called “whitelist” procedure, which involves the collection of
sensitive information that is particularly protected. The Conference of
Federal and State Data Protection Supervisory Authorities has declared that the transfer
of the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR), which enables access to highly sensitive data, to
non-governmental organizations is not permitted.
Abolish the payment card now!
Numerous cities and municipalities have already decided against the introduction of the
payment card, including Potsdam and municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia such as Düsseldorf,
Aachen, Dortmund, Krefeld, Münster and Wiesbaden. These municipalities prove that it is
possible to create a humane alternative and to oppose the racist
deterrence policy of the federal government.
For these reasons, we call on you to
prevent or abolish the payment card in your area of responsibility!
First signatories:
Aktion Freiheit statt Angst e.V.
Amaro Drom e.V.
Amaro Foro e.V.
Anti-discrimination network Berlin of the TBB
Asyl in der Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.
BARE Alliance
Be an Angel e.V.
Berlin Network for Refugees in Need of Special Protection (BNS)
Bloque Latinoamericano Berlin
borderline-europe – Menschenrechte ohne Grenzen e.V.
Refugee Counseling Center of the Protestant Church District of Upper Havelland
Flüchtlingsrat Berlin e.V.
Refugee Council Brandenburg e.V.
Hands off Wedding
Initiative Barnim Solidarisch
Interbüro
International Women Space e.V.
Justice Collective e.V.
Migration Council Berlin e.V.
Moabit helps e.V.
MV Louise Michel
Open MOL
Solid*base (formerly ‘Zusammenleben Willkommen’)
Space2groW
Stop Deportation Center BER
Association for Intercultural Work Berlin Brandenburg e.V.
Women in Exile e.V.
Zentrum ÜBERLEBEN gGmBH
AK QUEER WOHNEN
BIG e.V.
Women’s shelter Cocon e.V.
Frauenkreise Berlin e.V.
FRAUENRAUM – Specialist counseling and intervention center for domestic violence e.V.
Frauenzimmer e.V.
Hestia Frauenhaus e.V.
Hydra e.V.
Netzwerk Reproduktive Gerechtigkeit
://about blank, Technoclub
Dr.Pogo Veganladen-Kollektiv
FKK 3000 Fahrrad Kollektiv e.V.
Linienstraße 206
Neue Republik Reger GmbH
robinhood store
SO36 e.V.