Statements by the director of the UNHCR in the German state of Bavaria regarding Ukrainian and Afghan refugees sparked widespread controversy at the local level and on social media platforms, amid calls for her resignation.
In an April 19 press release, UNHCR Germany Director Gordon Brendel Fischer called for urgent priority of language lessons for Ukrainian refugees over Arab and Afghan refugees, claiming that they are able to integrate more quickly into German society.
Das hat man auch nicht alle Tage:
Eine Integrationsbeauftragte, die Migranten diskriminiert!!!
@IntB_Bayern pic.twitter.com/CwMCv2G7gs
— Arif Tasdelen (@arif_tasdelen) April 21, 2022
Brendel Fisher said that Ukrainian refugees "do not cook on the floor and know how to use the washing machine without the trouble of educating them, which in her view makes them more civilized than others."
Against the background of her statements, which caused an uproar on social media platforms, the Bavarian Refugee Council demanded the resignation of Brendel Fischer, accusing her of "encouraging racist thinking."
The Social Democrats criticized Brendel Fischer's comments, and demanded her dismissal because they "fueled racist rhetoric".
The official's comments came in conjunction with news that dozens of Afghan refugees were expelled from their homes in Germany, to be replaced by Ukrainian refugees.