25 October 2025
German rallies continue against Merz migration comments
Demonstrations against Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent comments on urban migration are expected to continue through the weekend.
During a visit to Potsdam last week, Merz talked about his government’s efforts to toughen migration policy. The primary objective, he said, is to continue to fight what he calls illegal immigration.
“But we still have this problem in our urban landscape, and that’s why the federal interior minister is facilitating and carrying out mass deportations,” he said.
The remarks have drawn widespread criticism, including from members of his coalition government.
When a reporter asked Merz to clarify the comment on Monday, he reiterated his point, saying, “Ask your daughters what I might mean.”
On Wednesday, Merz clarified that he was referring to migrants without residence permits and jobs that do not follow German laws.
In the survey conducted by public broadcaster ZDF, 63% of respondents said they agreed with the chancellor’s statements, while 29% said they disagreed.
However, only 18% of respondents said that refugees cause problems in their neighborhoods, while some 74% said they had not noticed any significant problems or none at all.
Social Democrat and deputy chancellor Lars Klingbiel appeared to criticize Merz’s choice of words in a speech to a trade union federation on Wednesday.
Klingbeil said, “I would like to live in a country where politics builds bridges and brings society together rather than dividing it by language.” “And I would also say this to you: I would love to live in a country where someone’s appearance does not determine whether he fits into the image of a city or not.”
Protests were planned in Hamburg, Magdeburg and Nuremberg on Saturday.
There have been several demonstrations in recent days, in which thousands of people have participated.