US EditionGermany Braces for Nationwide Protests Over Merz’s Controversial Urban Migration Comments
Protests erupted over Merz's remarks on migrants without residence permits, with 63% of surveyed Germans supporting his stance on tightening migration policies.
- On Saturday, thousands protested across German cities following Chancellor Friedrich Merz's remarks, with further demonstrations planned in Hamburg, Magdeburg and Nuremberg as the 'Stadtbild' debate stays atop the agenda for nearly two weeks.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the 'cityscape' problem requires tougher deportation action, clarifying on Wednesday he meant migrants without residence permits and jobs and reiterated this on Monday.
- SPD MPs are seeking a Chancellery safety summit to coordinate responses to everyday city problems, warning that `Difficulties in the cityscape have many causes: social injustices, housing shortages, neglect of public spaces, lack of social infrastructure and inadequate prevention`, Social Democrats wrote.
- Policy proposals include both security measures and expanded outreach services to tackle urban problems, with the Chancellery safety summit examining lighting, surveillance, drug consumption rooms, and mobile health teams, while SPD authors want a coalition agreement on the 'cityscape' by the end of the year.
- Public opinion is split: a ZDF-commissioned survey found 63% agreed with the chancellor and 29% disagreed, while only 18% reported refugees cause local issues and 74% saw no significant problems.
36 Articles
36 Articles
With his cityscape statement, Friedrich Merz has triggered debates throughout Germany. Does the Federal Chancellor have to show more empathy in the migration debate? This is how our readers assess the situation.
“Cityscapes” Dispute Pits SPD Against CDU
The conflict between Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil’s SPD over migration has become the newest point of contention within the German government. What began as a comment on the “cityscapes”—Stadtbild—in Germany and the visible effects of mass immigration has evolved into a political dispute that threatens to further fracture an already fragile coalition. It all started when Merz, speaking at a conference in Lon…
'Stadtbild' controversy prompts calls for city safety summit in Germany
Germany could be heading for a safety summit after the chancellor's 'Stadtbild' – or 'city image' – comments sparked a heated debate about security, social cohesion and life in the country’s urban centres.
Banaszak considers the "cityscape" debate initiated by the Chancellor to be necessary – the way in which he talks about migration, but not.
The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has been involved in a heated debate for days after, speaking of the achievements of his government in migration matters, which he said is “correcting the mistakes made,” he added: “But, of course, we still have this problem in the urban landscape and, therefore, the Minister of the Interior is working to allow and carry out large-scale repatriations.”
Several hundred people took part in rallies in Bonn against the statements of Friedrich Merz on migration policy. The demonstrators all showed incomprehension for the statements of the Chancellor – but there were also opposing opinions on the margins of the rallies.
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- 45% of the sources are Center
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