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The far-right AfD is polling at record levels, around 20 percent nationally and as high as 34 percent in parts of eastern Germany (Photo: European Council )

Podcast

Listen: Friedrich Merz under fire over ‘dangerous’ migration remarks

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Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, is facing strong criticism for what many describe as “dangerous rhetoric” on immigration.

During a visit to the eastern state of Brandenburg, Merz said that Germany still had “a problem in the cityscape” and that his interior minister was working to enable and carry out large-scale deportations.

Why have these remarks sparked such a strong reaction across Germany and what do they reveal about the country’s political mood on migration?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

EUobserver is proud to have an editorial partnership with Europod to co-publish the podcast series “Long Story Short” hosted by Evi Kiorri. The podcast is available on all major platforms.

You can find the transcript here if you prefer reading:

Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, is facing strong criticism for what many describe as “dangerous rhetoric” on immigration.

During a visit to the eastern state of Brandenburg, Merz said that Germany still had “a problem in the cityscape” and that his interior minister was working to enable and carry out large-scale deportations.

Why have these remarks sparked such a strong reaction across Germany and what do they reveal about the country’s political mood on migration?

When pressed by a journalist about the remarks, Merz replied:

“I don’t know if you have children, and daughters among them. Ask your daughters, I suspect you’ll get a pretty loud and clear answer. I have nothing to take back. We have to change something.”

Merz’s critics, including MPs from the Greens, the Left Party, and his coalition partners the Social Democrats, accused him of using racially charged language that echoes far-right narratives, and called for an apology.

Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius later tried to calm the situation, saying the remarks were made in Merz’s capacity as party leader, not as chancellor, and that “people were reading too much into them.”

Merz’s own party, the Christian Democrats, is divided. Some regional leaders backed him, saying Germany needed to enforce its deportation laws more effectively.

Others, including Berlin’s CDU mayor Kai Wegner, warned against linking migration to urban problems, saying Berlin’s diversity “will always be reflected in the cityscape.”

Now this debate is unfolding against a broader political backdrop. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland, or AfD, is polling at record levels, around 20 percent nationally and as high as 34 percent in parts of eastern Germany.

Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc performed below expectations in February’s general election, taking 28.5 percent, while the AfD surged. Since then, the two parties have been neck-and-neck in polls, driven by voter concerns about migration, security, and the economy.

Merz came to power promising a tougher stance on irregular migration, reversing Angela Merkel’s more open approach during the 2015 refugee crisis.

His government claims to have reduced irregular arrivals by 60 percent since May.

But researchers warn that when mainstream parties adopt far-right rhetoric to counter populists, they risk normalising those narratives and shifting public discourse. A pattern that has been observed across Europe, from Italy to the Netherlands, where tough migration talk has often failed to stop the far right from gaining ground.

So, what now?

Within his own party, Merz faces a strategic dilemma. The CDU has maintained what’s known as the “firewall”, a strict refusal to cooperate with the AfD.

Merz insists the firewall remains, saying there are “fundamental differences” between the CDU and the AfD.

He argues that his approach, tougher migration control combined with economic reforms,  will restore public trust and strengthen mainstream politics.

Yet protests in Berlin and other cities, as well as ongoing criticism from opposition parties, suggest that the debate over his words is far from over. For many Germans, the issue now is not just how migration is managed, but how it is talked about and whether the language of the  government itself risks deepening divisions.

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