AfD MPs found in Hitler salute collage – DW – 10/17/2025

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has faced widespread criticism for comments on deportations that lawmakers and civic groups have described as racist.

Merz made the comments on Tuesday when asked about the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), citing her government’s progress on migration reform. “But we still have this problem in the urban landscape,” he said. He said the interior minister was facilitating mass deportations.

The reference to the “cityscape” has sparked outrage by suggesting that diverse urban populations are central to the need for deportation.

Opposition came not only from opposition parties but also from within his own coalition. Natalie Pavlik, integration commissioner of the Social Democrats, called the comments “populist” and said they “divide society even more and help the wrong people instead of promoting solutions.”

Dozens of Green Party MPs have written to Merz demanding a public apology, calling the words “racist, discriminatory, hurtful and indecent”.

Refugee group Pro Asylum also condemned the comments, with its director Karl Kopp accusing the chancellor of encouraging extremists through “outrageous slogans”.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has defended his plan to resume military service, calling it essential to Germany’s security and deterrence strategy.

Speaking in the Bundesrat on Friday, Pistorius said the proposal aimed to strengthen the country’s defense capability and preparedness. “It’s not about weapons,” he said. “We are not threatening anyone. We are being threatened.”

He warned that Russia, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, poses a real and continuing threat to Germany, Europe and NATO, saying Moscow seeks to undermine European unity and provoke member states.

The comments came after the presentation in the Bundestag of a draft bill to reinstate voluntary military service, which was suspended in 2011. The government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to rebuild military strength in line with NATO defense goals.

There remains disagreement within the coalition over whether to introduce a lottery system if very few volunteers come forward. Pistorius said the priority must remain the Bundeswehr’s ability to react and deploy effectively.

Poland has refused to extradite to Germany a Ukrainian man accused of involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline attacks in the Baltic Sea.

A Warsaw court ruled Friday that Germany’s request to transfer the 46-year-old man, identified as Volodymyr Z, was not sufficiently substantiated and ordered him released from pre-trial detention.

Read more about the case here.

Police in northern Germany have confirmed that the body of a boy found near Klein Uphall earlier this week is that of missing eight-year-old schoolboy Fabian.

Authorities in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania said Friday that DNA analysis had identified the remains. Investigators already suspected that the child was Fabian, but his parents were unable to view the body for identification.

According to a preliminary autopsy, the boy was the victim of a violent crime. The homicide division of Rostock police is leading the investigation, which is ongoing.

Police returned to the search site on Friday to re-examine the pond near Fabian’s hometown of Gustrow, which firefighters had partially drained. Authorities searched the water using metal detecting equipment and cleared nearby brush, but prosecutors said they were not aware of any new findings.

Authorities have urged the public to avoid speculating about possible suspects and to continue providing information or private recordings that could help the investigation.

Fabian went missing a week ago, prompting a massive search involving hundreds of officers, helicopters, boats and tracking dogs before his body was found on Tuesday.

His disappearance and death have deeply shocked the local community, with hundreds of people gathering for a vigil in Gustrow to mourn the loss.

Beer prices are expected to rise in Germany as major brewers pass on higher costs to retailers and bars.

Krombacher and Veltins have already raised prices for bottled and draft beer this month, with others set to do the same. According to business magazine Inside, six of the ten most popular beer brands in Germany are affected, with many small breweries being affected.

It is unclear how much of the increase will be passed on to consumers. Inside editor Niklas Ader said larger capacity in the brewing sector gives retailers the advantage of keeping prices low. Markus Strobl, an analyst at market research firm NIQ, said price tags in stores may not change until after Christmas, as retailers aim to protect holiday sales.

German beer consumption continues to decline due to demographic changes and tight budgets. NIQ data shows that total beer sales in the first half of 2025 fell 2.1% in retail and 8.6% in hospitality. “People are drinking less overall,” Stroble said. “Many people now stop after one glass rather than ordering a second or third glass.”

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has fiercely defended the Nord Stream gas pipelines, calling it “still the right decision”, while repeatedly clashing with lawmakers during a tense parliamentary inquiry in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Appearing by video link from Hanover, the 81-year-old former leader of the centre-left Social Democrats was clearly irritated as he faced questions about his role in the project and the state-backed climate foundation that helped shield Nord Stream 2 from US sanctions.

He dismissed many of the investigations as “ridiculous” or “irrelevant” and, at one point, taunted the committee chairman, Sebastian Ehlers of the conservative Christian Democrats: “Can you stop this nonsense?”

Schröder stressed that the purpose of the pipeline was to obtain cheaper gas from Russia and make Germany less dependent on coal and nuclear power. He said that “I was not interested” in Poland’s objections and that the project was deliberately created to avoid “interference from other countries”.

The former chancellor gave few concrete answers, often claiming he did not remember. He described past economic cooperation with Moscow as a “peace policy” and said it should still be viewed that way.

Since leaving public office, Schröder has worked for several Russian state-owned energy companies, including Nord Stream, Rosneft, and Gazprom.

Far-right German lawmaker Petr Bystron has been fined €11,250 (about $13,140) after a Munich court found him unconstitutional and guilty of using symbols of terrorist organizations.

The European Parliament member for Alternative for Germany (AfD) was convicted over a 2022 social media post showing former Chancellor Angela Merkel and others holding up arms, which the court said resembled the banned Hitler salute “through the composition of the photographs”.

Bystrone did not attend Friday’s hearing and was represented by his lawyer, who argued that the case had a “political background”. The court imposed a 90-day fine of €125 per day – just below the criminal record limit. Prosecutors had asked for a daily rate of $110.

The lawmaker posted the collage after the dismissal of former Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnik, titled “Goodbye, goodbye Melnik! German politicians are saying goodbye!” His lawyer admitted in court that Bystrone had written the caption himself.

The decision is not yet final and can be appealed within a week. Bystrone has denied wrongdoing and described the proceedings as politically motivated.

He also faces separate charges of money laundering and bribery over alleged payments from the pro-Russian outlet Voice of Europe to promote Moscow’s interests in Germany.

Another AfD figure, Thuringia state leader Björn Hocke, has been convicted twice of using banned Nazi-era slogans.

good day From DW’s newsroom in Bonn.

Join us after a Munich court found Germany’s far-right lawmaker Petr Bystron guilty of a hefty fine for posting a social media collage that showed Angela Merkel and others giving the banned Hitler salute.

The judges said the 2022 image used Nazi symbols “through the composition of the photographs”.

In other news, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has defended the Russian-backed Nord Stream gas pipelines as “still right”, clashing with MPs who questioned his role in the project.

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