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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his comments on migration, saying many Germans and Europeans are “afraid to move in public spaces.”
Merz rejected criticism from some German political circles over his government’s tough stance on illegal immigration.
“But we of course still have this problem in the urban landscape, and that is why the Federal Minister of the Interior is facilitating and carrying out large-scale evictions,” he said during a visit to Potsdam last week.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sparked backlash when he made remarks about the country’s migration policy. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
The statement sparked backlash, with some accusing the German leader of being racist. He rejected the criticism on the sidelines of a summit on the Western Balkans in London, saying migrants were “an indispensable part of our labor market”, German newspaper DW News reported.
He also claimed that many people in Germany and across Europe are nevertheless “afraid to move in public spaces” because of migrants “who do not have permanent resident status, do not work and do not respect our rules”, the outlet reported.
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Many protesters gather for a demonstration in Berlin on October 19, 2025, with the slogan “Brandmauer hoch!” (“We are the urban landscape”), referring to a statement by Chancellor Merz about migration policy. (Annette Riedl/photo alliance via Getty Images)
“I don’t know if you have children. If you do, and there are daughters among them, ask your daughters what I might have meant. I think you will get a pretty clear and unambiguous answer. I have nothing to retract,” he said when asked if he would retract his previous remarks.
Some signed a petition challenging Merz’s comments. Among the signatories are actress Marie Nasemann and environmental activist Luisa Neubauer.
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“There are about 40 million girls in this country. We have a real interest in having our safety taken seriously,” Neubauer wrote on Instagram. “What we are not interested in is being misused as a pretext or justification for statements that are ultimately discriminatory, racist and deeply hurtful.”
