Skip next section Merz accused of racism over ‘cityscape’ remark10/18/2025October 18, 2025
Merz accused of racism over ‘cityscape’ remark
Chancellor Merz has come in for a barrage of criticism for a recent remark he made that to some seemed to imply that migrants disrupted German urban landscapes.
Speaking of a recent reduction in migration to Germany, Merz went on to assert that “we still have this problem in the cityscape, and that is why the interior minister is working to carry out large-scale deportations.”
You can read about the furor caused by Merz’s comment in this article by DW’s Jens Thurau:
https://p.dw.com/p/52D4C
Skip next section Merz seeks distance from AfD, vows to uphold ‘firewall’
10/18/2025October 18, 2025
Merz seeks distance from AfD, vows to uphold ‘firewall’
German Chancellor has rejected growing calls to tear down between his conservative and the far-right party.
“We will highlight the differences between us and the AfD even more clearly,” he said in an interview to be published on Sunday in the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
“In public perception, this false narrative is taking hold: ‘They could push everything through with the AfD if only they would tear down this firewall,’” Merz said in the interview.
Referring to remarks by AfD co-leader , who has emphasized her readiness to cooperate with the CDU, Merz said: “The ‘outstretched hand’ repeatedly invoked by the AfD actually aims to destroy us, as they themselves say.”
“And that is why the AfD is our main opponent in the upcoming electoral battles,” he added.
Merz criticizes former chancellors Merkel and Scholz
Merz also said that the decision by former CDU Chancellor in 2015 to escape the civil war in their country had contributed to the AfD’s rise.
This was compounded by decisions taken after 2021 by the center-left coaltion of his predecessor, , he said, which led to a doubling of the AfD’s popularity ratings.
His remarks come following calls from some in his party and from politicians in several eastern German states to do away with the ban on cooperating with the far-right party in view of its strength in some legislatures, including at federal level.
The AfD is the strongest opposition force in the , or German parliament.
https://p.dw.com/p/52D3Q
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage10/18/2025October 18, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn!
You join us as mainstream parties in Germany continue to debate ways of combating the rise in popularity of the party, seen by many as a danger to democracy.
Chancellor Merz has asserted in an interview that his Christian Democrats (CDU) will keep in place its ban on any form of cooperation with the far-right party, despite calls to loosen it.
And flag carrier has said high airport fees in Germany are making some domestic flights unprofitable, leading it to consider cancelling several routes.
Read on here to find out what people are talking about in Germany on Saturday, October 18.
https://p.dw.com/p/52D3x
The post Germany news: Merz sees AfD as ‘main opponent’ in elections appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
