AfD Files Criminal Complaint Against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Over ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Remark
Berlin,A political controversy has intensified in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the AfD’s migration policy as “ethnic cleansing.” The far-right party has filed a criminal complaint against Merz, calling his remark “criminal in nature” and unacceptable.According to German newspaper BILD, Germany’s right-wing AfD party has filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz after…
Berlin,
A political controversy has intensified in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the AfD’s migration policy as “ethnic cleansing.” The far-right party has filed a criminal complaint against Merz, calling his remark “criminal in nature” and unacceptable.
According to German newspaper BILD, Germany’s right-wing AfD party has filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz after he characterized the party’s immigration policy — in relation to skilled workers — as “ethnic cleansing.” AfD parliamentary group secretary Stefan Brandner said Merz’s remarks were “criminal in nature” and “unacceptable,” adding that the parliamentary group “fully upholds the constitution.”
Facing the party in parliament for the first time following the AfD’s surprise election victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, Merz said during a heated debate that the far-right party’s plans for mass, racially-driven deportations would severely damage a key pillar of the German economy.
Speaking to applause from members of other parties in parliament on Wednesday, Merz said: “The term ‘remigration’ is simply another word for ethnic cleansing based on race and skin color.” Among extremists, “remigration” refers to the mass deportation of people with immigrant backgrounds. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, describes remigration as a concept aimed at “creating a society organized along ethnic lines and expelling all foreigners.”
In its election manifesto in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD had called for “remigration” policies, including accelerating the deportation of rejected asylum seekers and foreign criminals.
