A member of the French think tank the Institute for Justice has warned that increasing the number of Afghan migrants in France could lead to an increase in criminality.
Pierre-Marie Sève, the director and spokesman of the think tank, noted that migrants are over-represented in nearly all categories of crime and stated that Afghans, in particular, commit more crimes than asylum seekers from other countries.
Prior to 2015, France had seen few Afghan asylum seekers, according to Sève, but he noted in an article for the French newspaper Valeurs Actuelles that in 2020 Afghans were the largest share of asylum applications, with men making up 92 per cent of those applying.
Sève also cites Cheryl Benard, an American academic who specialises in Afghanistan, who has stated that Afghan migrants “commit sexual crimes to a much greater extent than other refugees, even from such Muslim and conservative countries.”
According to Benard, Austrian police statistics revealed that while 10 per cent of sexual abuse could be attributed to Syrian migrants, the figure was up to 50 per cent for Afghan nationals.
In June, a case involving a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly drugged, raped and murdered by a group of four Afghan migrants shocked Austrians, particularly as two of those involved had been handed deportation orders years prior and had already been convicted of crimes in the European country.
In France, Sève notes recent criminal cases involving Afghan suspects in Bergerac, where an Afghan was tried for sexual assault — his second such case in just two months — and another in Rennes, involving two Afghans who allegedly stabbed a man who was protecting his girlfriend.
France has also seen recent issues relating to the evacuation of Afghans from Afghanistan, including a man who was evacuated who is believed to be connected to the Taliban.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin commented on the situation, saying: “Even if this person greatly assisted in the evacuation of the French embassy, we believe that he may be linked to the Taliban.”
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