Study: Afghans and Moroccans top violent crime rates
The famous forensic psychologist Frank Urbaniok has sparked widespread controversy in political and media circles following the release of his new book titled Schattenseiten der Migration (The Dark Side of Migration). In this book, he highlights what he describes as rising rates of violent crime among certain groups of foreigners, particularly from specific countries, and suggests reconsidering the mechanism for accepting asylum applications based on this data.
In an interview with NZZ am Sonntag, Urbaniok emphasized that he does not consider all immigrants to be criminals, but he asserts that "a large part of the violence is imported," as he put it. He bases his argument on statistical analyses from Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, which show that individuals of Afghan or Moroccan descent commit serious violent crimes at rates exceeding those of citizens, with data indicating that Afghans are accused of these crimes five times more than Swiss nationals, and Moroccans eight times more.
Urbaniok explains these differences by what he calls cultural influences, pointing out that some communities hold strict concepts of "honor", family, and violence, which can lead to dangerous behaviors, even among those considered well-integrated, such as cases of "honor crimes". He emphasizes that these differences remain even when comparing a specific age group, such as young males only.
Urbaniok suggests reviewing the current European asylum system, emphasizing the need for a flexible quota system that takes into account crime rates in the home countries of asylum seekers. He believes that the current system leads to the exhaustion of host countries, and sees the solution in organizing the asylum process according to realistic and objective data.
The psychiatrist rejected the criticisms directed at his book, which some publishing houses described as controversial or even populist. He also denied the accusation of generalization, explaining that social, economic, and educational factors certainly influence behavior, but the decisive impact of culture and the country of origin cannot be ignored.
Urbaniok denied any political affiliation with the SVP (Swiss People's Party known for its right-wing tendencies), asserting that he is politically independent, but he believes that the time has come for a "frank discussion about the dark side of immigration," as he described it.