German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has backtracked on his racist remarks about the impact of immigrants on the cultural landscape of German cities. This came in response to widespread criticism that reached the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), after thousands staged protests before the CDU headquarters in Berlin under the slogan “We Are the Girls.” Two days earlier, Merz had said, “Ask your daughters, ask your friends—everyone will confirm that there is a problem, at least after dark.” In her remarks during the protest, Luisa Neubauer said, “We will not be used as a pretext for racist and unacceptable statements.”
Merz has faced widespread criticism within the coalition partner parties as well as within his own party. The Mayor of Berlin, who belongs to the CDU, criticized Merz’s remarks, stating that the capital’s problems have nothing to do with nationality. Meanwhile, Armin Laschet, the party’s former candidate for the chancellorship, said that Merz’s statements are extremely vague.
Critics argue that Merz’s view of immigrants is no different from that of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and that he is merely trying to win over conservative voters. The Green Party is at the forefront of the criticism of Merz, and in a letter signed by dozens of members of parliament, it called on him to apologize “to all first-, second-, and third-generation immigrants who face racism and exclusion every day.” The Greens in North Rhine–Westphalia are also seeking to file a criminal complaint against Merz on suspicion of inciting hatred against immigrants.
The Chancellor implicitly backed down from his remarks that sparked outrage, although he refused to apologize, saying, “I have nothing to retract—quite the opposite.” He added, “Many of these people negatively affect the public image of our cities. For this reason, many people in Germany and in other EU countries—and this is not limited to Germany—are afraid to move around in public spaces.”
Merz also stressed in his speech the importance of migrants to the German labor market, saying, “Migrants are an indispensable part of our labor market. We can no longer do without them, regardless of their origins, their skin color, or whether they are first-, second-, third-, or fourth-generation migrants living and working in Germany.”
