Bavaria's state premier, Markus Söder, recently said that crosses should be hung up in all public buildings in the southern German state, a step that he himself considers an important act toward maintaining Bavarian identity.
The measure will be implemented in all Bavarian state authority buildings, schools and courts starting from June 1.
Söder, who replaced his political rival Horst Seehofer in the post of Bavarian government leader in March, wrote on social media that the initiative is a "clear avowal of our Bavarian identity and Christian values."
Klares Bekenntnis zu unserer bayerischen Identität und christlichen Werten. Haben heute im Kabinett beschlossen, dass in jeder staatlichen Behörde ab dem 1. Juni ein Kreuz hängen soll. Habe direkt nach der Sitzung ein Kreuz im Eingangsbereich der Staatskanzlei aufgehängt. pic.twitter.com/o99M0dV4Uy
— Markus Söder (@Markus_Soeder) 24 апреля 2018 г.
Clear avowal of our Bavarian identity and Christian values. Today we decided in the Cabinet that from 1 June in each state authority should hang a cross. Immediately after the meeting, I hung up a cross near the entrance of the State Chancellery.
In this regard, his stance doesn't differ much from that of Seehofer (both politicians belong to the Christian Social Union [CSU]), allied with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union [CDU]) who claimed that his country "has been shaped by Christianity" and that "Islam doesn't belong to Germany."
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His statement comes amid the large-scale inflows of refugees from Muslim countries to Europe that have been actively debated in society. Although the German government headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly promoted tolerance toward refugees, heavy migration has triggered strong anti-Islam sentiments across the country.
In 2015, Merkel announced that Germany would open its borders to migrants, fleeing to Europe in the hundreds of thousands in search of a safer future. However, of late, Berlin has been trying to curb its migration policy, partly, in a bid to balance out the relationship between the CDU and the CSU, with the latter promoting a harsher approach to immigration.
READ MORE: 'Islam Doesn't Belong to Germany' — New Interior Minister
Bavarian authorities have had a particularly critical approach toward newcomers, not least due to a large number of foreigners residing in the federal state. According to official data, of the nearly 13 million people living in Bavaria, almost a quarter have foreign roots, which amounts to some 2.96 million people or about 23 percent of the state's total population.
However, many politicians in other federal states have also opposed Merkel's open-door policy. The criticism has become especially evident due to a high number of attacks and assaults committed by migrants on German soil. The attacks include several deadly stabbings which have taken place in German cities as well as sexual assaults on women that were first registered during the 2015-2016 New Year's Eve celebrations and have repeatedly occurred since then.
