>Instead of retracting his comment, Merz doubled down. Asked by reporters on Monday whether he regretted his statement, he replied: “Ask your daughters, ask your friends – everyone will confirm this is a problem, at least after dark.” He added: “I have nothing to take back. On the contrary.”
>Yet as the outcry continued, Merz changed course late Wednesday and began to aggressively walk his comments.
>On the sidelines of a meeting between European officials and Western Balkan leaders in London, Merz read out a prepared statement, saying Germany valued its immigrant communities and that by *Stadtbild* he meant people without residence permits who did not stick to the rules.
>“Many of these also shape the public image of our cities. That is why so many people in Germany and other European Union countries – and this does not only apply to Germany – are now simply afraid to move around in public spaces,” Merz said. This affects train stations, underground stations and certain parks. ‘It shapes entire neighbourhoods, which also cause major problems for our police.’
>He added that Germany would continue to need immigration and said migrants were “an indispensable part of our labour market.”
>By the end of his statement, Merz appeared to have turned 180 degrees.
>“We simply cannot do without them anymore, no matter where they come from, what colour their skin is, and no matter whether they are first, second, third or fourth generation immigrants living and working in Germany.”
That’s funny, but at least he was forced to walk back his comment and defend immigration. It’s good to see Liberalism in Germany is strong enough to force the Chancellor into being pro-immigration.
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The-OneAnd-Only on
As an American, I cannot understand the rational or thinking that a 3rd or 4th formation German isn’t a real German” or citizen. 🤦♂️
Justice4Ned on
I get that he’s feeling pressure from the AfD on the right, but he probably should’ve went with a more vague, deniable form of racism than full on “brown people bad” rhetoric.
It works for the AfD cause their constituents are just racists, but turns off literally everybody else.
James_NY on
It’s going to be interesting to see if this sub reacts differently to this than to things “moderate” Democratic candidates say in 2026 and 2028.
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LondonCallingYou on
> Bild newspaper chief political writer Peter Tiede – sided with the chancellor, saying he had addressed the reality of everyday life in Germany and was referring to drug dealers and young, male illegal immigrants hanging around train stations and city centres, making people feel unsafe.
Is this an accurate concern in Germany today or is it not?
7 Comments
>Instead of retracting his comment, Merz doubled down. Asked by reporters on Monday whether he regretted his statement, he replied: “Ask your daughters, ask your friends – everyone will confirm this is a problem, at least after dark.” He added: “I have nothing to take back. On the contrary.”
>Yet as the outcry continued, Merz changed course late Wednesday and began to aggressively walk his comments.
>On the sidelines of a meeting between European officials and Western Balkan leaders in London, Merz read out a prepared statement, saying Germany valued its immigrant communities and that by *Stadtbild* he meant people without residence permits who did not stick to the rules.
>“Many of these also shape the public image of our cities. That is why so many people in Germany and other European Union countries – and this does not only apply to Germany – are now simply afraid to move around in public spaces,” Merz said. This affects train stations, underground stations and certain parks. ‘It shapes entire neighbourhoods, which also cause major problems for our police.’
>He added that Germany would continue to need immigration and said migrants were “an indispensable part of our labour market.”
>By the end of his statement, Merz appeared to have turned 180 degrees.
>“We simply cannot do without them anymore, no matter where they come from, what colour their skin is, and no matter whether they are first, second, third or fourth generation immigrants living and working in Germany.”
That’s funny, but at least he was forced to walk back his comment and defend immigration. It’s good to see Liberalism in Germany is strong enough to force the Chancellor into being pro-immigration.
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As an American, I cannot understand the rational or thinking that a 3rd or 4th formation German isn’t a real German” or citizen. 🤦♂️
I get that he’s feeling pressure from the AfD on the right, but he probably should’ve went with a more vague, deniable form of racism than full on “brown people bad” rhetoric.
It works for the AfD cause their constituents are just racists, but turns off literally everybody else.
It’s going to be interesting to see if this sub reacts differently to this than to things “moderate” Democratic candidates say in 2026 and 2028.
[removed]
> Bild newspaper chief political writer Peter Tiede – sided with the chancellor, saying he had addressed the reality of everyday life in Germany and was referring to drug dealers and young, male illegal immigrants hanging around train stations and city centres, making people feel unsafe.
Is this an accurate concern in Germany today or is it not?