A personal thread, as I’m in a political mood. Just in case you ever wondered where my last name came from (it didn’t sound like a German name to you, did it?) 1/

My last name, Tilkov, is Bulgarian. My father was named Jiko Tilkov Jikov, and Jiko Tilkov is the way the French transcribed his name when he arrived in France, seeking asylum after having fled from communist Bulgaria in the 1950s. 2/

My father fled from communists, and was – naturally – granted asylum in Germany. Together with my mother, he built a company (actually, a number of them), and they were able to help their two sons through university. 3/

The German constitution (“Grundgesetz”) , in article 16a (1) says “Politisch Verfolgte genießen Asylrecht.”, “Persons persecuted on political grounds shall have the right of asylum.”. I owe almost everything I am, and own, and all of my significant privilege, to that article. 4/

The countries that have similar provisions in their constitutions, and act according to them, form the reasonable part of the world, and I think this is something to be proud of. Once you start questioning that, it’s a slippery slope to the shitty nationalist crap of the past 5/

Now, I completely agree anyone asking for the right to permanently stay in a country that has a decent, democratic, human constitution, needs to adhere to that country’s laws. But as soon as they’re accepted as citizens of that country, that’s what they are. 6/