Syrians in Germany#Migration history

Even before the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Germany had a significant population of Syrian migrants, with religious and ethnic minorities such as Assyrians over-represented in the population. Many opponents of the regime in former Ba'athist Syria under Bashar Al Assad, especially Syrian Sunni Muslims and Palestinians have also sought refuge in Germany.

File:Drehscheibe Köln-Bonn Airport - Ankunft Flüchtlinge 5. Oktober 2015-0280.jpg

However, the overwhelming majority of Syrians who have arrived in Germany migrated to the country after the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011.

During the European migrant crisis of 2014-2015, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees of the Syrian Civil War entered Germany to seek refugee status. The European migrant crisis was eased on September 4, 2015, by Chancellor Werner Faymann of Austria and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. They announced that migrants would be allowed to cross the border from Hungary into Austria and onward to Germany. On the morning of September 5, 2015, buses with migrants began crossing the Austro-Hungarian border.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/05/world/europe/migrant-crisis-hungary.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0 |title=Migrants Cross Austria Border From Hungary |author1=Rick Lyman |author2=Anemona Hartocollis |author3=Alison Smale |name-list-style=amp |newspaper=The New York Times |date=4 September 2015 |accessdate=5 September 2015 |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907013138/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/05/world/europe/migrant-crisis-hungary.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-latest-austria-germany-to-accept-bused-migrants/ar-AAdWjak?li=BBgzzfc&ocid=iehp |title=The Latest: Austria, Germany to accept bused migrants |work=msn.com |access-date=2020-04-17 |archive-date=2015-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015140038/http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-latest-austria-germany-to-accept-bused-migrants/ar-AAdWjak?li=BBgzzfc&ocid=iehp |url-status=live }}

Germany's number of asylum applicants, mostly consisting of Syrians, peaked at 890,000 in 2015, however, the trend began to reverse. In 2018 for instance, only 185,000 Syrians applied for asylum in Germany, although Syrians still continue to be the far largest group of Asylum seekers since 2013.

Most Syrians have been granted subsidiary protection, which makes them a permanent resident with the right to work and eligible for German citizenship after 5 years of residency.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-24 |title=Urteil: Schutzstatus für Syrer auf der Kippe |url=https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/deutschland/syrer-schutzstatus-fluechtline-sicherheitslage-100.html |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=ZDFheute |language=de}} In 2023, they were by far the biggest group of foreign nationals receiving German citizenship.{{Cite news |last=Achterberg |first=Beatrice |date=2024-05-28 |title=Einbürgerungswelle in Deutschland: 200 000 Migranten, Syrer an der Spitze |url=https://www.nzz.ch/international/einbuergerungswelle-in-deutschland-200-000-migranten-syrer-an-der-spitze-ld.1832389 |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=Neue Zürcher Zeitung |language=de-CH |issn=0376-6829}}

After the Fall of Damascus on 7 December 2024 and Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Moscow, politicians campaigning for Germany´s 2025 election, asked for the 973,905 Syrians in Germany to return to Syria,[https://www.derwesten.de/politik/bundestagswahl-syrien-afd-union-gruene-id301259701.htmlHenrik Jonathan Zinn: "Bundestagswahl 2025: Punkten AfD und Union in Syrien-Frage?"] derwesten.de 11 December 2024, retrieved 15 December 2024 while others feared that the sunni islamist HTS rebels, in charge after the fall of the regime, may not be willing to honor fundamental rights like freedom of religion and warned of hasty returns. The processing of new applications for asylum for Syrians was halted by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.[https://www.lto.de/recht/nachrichten/n/syrien-sturz-assad-regimes-rueckkehr-fluechtlinge-debatte "Rückkehr und Rückführung nach Syrien?"] lto.de 9 December 2024, retrieved 12 December 2024

File:Berlin-Neukölln - Sonnenallee 01.jpg in Neukölln: The district of Berlin hosts a large community of Syrians and other Arab Levantines]]

A large proportion of Syrians have settled in large West German cities, particularly in the Ruhr area and Berlin, where there was already a large Arab-Levantine community, consisting mainly of Lebanese and Palestinian migrants who arrived in the 1980s. However, there is also a sizeable Syrian community in eastern Germany, particularly in the largest cities such as Leipzig and Dresden, where they are the largest non-European immigrant group.{{Cite web |last=Bildung |first=Bundeszentrale für politische |date=2024-04-24 |title=Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund |url=https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/zahlen-und-fakten/soziale-situation-in-deutschland/61646/bevoelkerung-mit-migrationshintergrund/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}

Although most Syrians automatically receive the right to work under German law, many German politicians and journalists have criticised the relatively high level of benefit dependency among Syrian migrants. In 2023, after most had been in Germany for 8 years, 55% of Syrians were dependent on benefits, compared to 5.3% of their German counterparts.{{Cite web |last=Bau |first=Matthias |date=2023-08-31 |title=Bürgergeld: Grafik zu Bezügen von Geflüchteten ist irreführend |url=https://correctiv.org/faktencheck/hintergrund/2023/08/31/buergergeld-irrefuehrender-grafik-fehlt-kontext-zu-quoten-von-gefluechteten/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=correctiv.org |language=de-DE}}{{Cite web |date=2023-09-08 |title=Bürgergeld: „500.000 Syrer, die Bürgergeld beziehen, suchen aktuell Beschäftigung“ - WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus246985258/Buergergeld-500-000-Syrer-die-Buergergeld-beziehen-suchen-aktuell-Beschaeftigung.html |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=DIE WELT |language=de}}

The relatively high crime rate among Syrians,{{Cite news |last=Schattauer |first=Goran |date=8 May 2023 |title=Sexualdelikte, Mord, Raub: Die Wahrheit über kriminelle Zuwanderer |url=https://www.focus.de/panorama/illerkirchberg-kandel-freiburg-alles-einzelfaelle-die-bittere-wahrheit-ueber-kriminelle-fluechtlinge_id_190188361.html |access-date=26 July 2024 |work=FOCUS}} especially among young Syrian men, has also been the subject of political debate. In June 2024, after an 18-year-old Syrian allegedly killed a 20-year-old man in the town of Bad Oeynhausen who had just returned from a school graduation ceremony, many politicians in Germany called for deportations to Syria, especially of those involved in criminal activities. Discussing the murder, the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst called for deportations of foreign nationals, "regardless of where they are from". Several days later German chancellor Olaf Scholz also called for deportations to Syria, although Germany has no official embassy in the country since the outbreak of the civil war. {{Cite web |date=2024-07-04 |title=Germany’s Scholz breaks bad on migration |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-chancellor-olaf-scholz-migration-policies-deportation-crime-islam-syriia-afghan/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB}}

File:2018-05-14-Lamya Kaddor -hart aber fair-9018.jpg, member of German parliament (Bundestag)]]

File:FC Salzburg gegen Borussia Dortmund (EL Achtelfinale Rückspiel 15. März 2018) 20.jpg, footballer]]

• Alaa Alhamwi, politician (Greens)
• Ijad Madisch, CEO and founder of ResearchGate
• Aias Aosman, footballer
• Mike Josef, Lord Mayor of Frankfurt
• Mahmoud Charr, Boxer
• Mahmoud Dahoud, footballer
• Rasha Nasr, politician
• Mamoun Darkazanli
• Aziz Dyab, actor
• Rafed El-Masri, swimmer
• Hanin Elias, techno musician
• Lamya Kaddor, scholar of Islamic studies and member of German parliament
• Adel Karasholi, writer
• Yusra Mardini, swimmer
• Sarah Mardini, swimmer
• Rafik Schami
• Bassam Tibi, professor of political science
• Mohammed Haydar Zammar, political scientist and international relations professor
• Rola El-Halabi, former multiple World Champion in women’s boxing

{{see also|Kurds in Germany}}

{{see also|Kurds in Syria}}

A large proportion of the Syrians who have arrived in Germany are also of Kurdish origin, seeking protection from Islamist groups in Syria.

{{see also|Turks in Germany}}

Established in Germany, the "Suriye Türkmen Kültür ve Yardımlaşma Derneği - Avrupa", or "STKYDA", ("Syrian Turkmen Culture and Solidarity Association - Europe") was the first Syrian Turkmen association to be launched in Europe.{{citation |title=Avrupa'da Suriyeli Türkmenler İlk Dernek Kurdular Suriye Türkmen kültür ve yardımlaşma Derneği- Avrupa STKYDA |url=http://suriyeturkmenleri.com/19-maset%26newsID%3D593~avrupa%E2%80%99da_suriyeli_turkmenler_ilk_dernek_kurdular__suriye_turkmen_kultur_ve_yardimlasma_dernegi-_avrupa_stkyda |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112184954/http://suriyeturkmenleri.com/19-maset%26newsID%3D593~avrupa%E2%80%99da_suriyeli_turkmenler_ilk_dernek_kurdular__suriye_turkmen_kultur_ve_yardimlasma_dernegi-_avrupa_stkyda |archive-date=12 November 2020 |url-status=live |publisher=Suriye Türkmenleri |accessdate=10 November 2020}} It was established in order to help the growing Syrian Turkmen community who arrived in the country since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War. The association includes Syrian Turkmen youth activists from many different Syrian cities and who are now living across Western Europe.{{citation |title=SYRISCH TURKMENICHER KULTURVEREIN E.V. EUROPA |url=http://www.suriyeturkmenleri.com/19-maset%26newsID%3D591~suriye_turkmen__kultur_ve_yardimlasma__dernegi-avrupa____ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923140156/http://www.suriyeturkmenleri.com/19-maset%26newsID%3D591~suriye_turkmen__kultur_ve_yardimlasma__dernegi-avrupa____ |archive-date=23 September 2023 |url-status=live |publisher=Suriye Türkmenleri |accessdate=10 November 2020}}

• Syrian diaspora
• Syrians in Austria
• Syrians in Finland
• Syrians in Sweden
• Syrians in Norway
• Syrians in Denmark
• Syrians in Turkey
• Arabs in Germany
• Arabs in Berlin
• Arab diaspora
• Arabs in Europe
• Kurds in Germany
• Turks in Germany
• Bosniaks in Germany

{{Reflist}}

{{Syrian diaspora}}

{{Arab diaspora}}

{{Immigration to Germany}}

Category:Arabs in Germany

Category:Ethnic groups in Germany

Germany

Category:Syrian emigrants to Germany

Category:Middle Eastern diaspora in Germany

Category:Refugees of the Syrian civil war