Germany’s Merz accuses AfD of promoting ‘ethnic cleansing’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz harshly criticized the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for advocating mass deportations of rejected asylum seekers and individuals arriving through irregular means. During a parliamentary clash on Wednesday, Merz denounced the AfD's policy of "remigration" as a form of ethnic cleansing based on skin color and origin.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel vehemently opposed Merz, arguing that the days of his center-right CDU coalition were over and demanding a change in politics. Weidel accused the immigration policy of making Germany unsafe, citing incidents like knife violence, attacks on public transportation, and run-down cityscapes. In response to the AfD's growing electoral success, Merz claimed that the party's immigration stance would severely damage the labor market and even suggested that the AfD was aiding Russia's attempts to destabilize Germany, following a missile attack at Leipzig airport last month, which Berlin attributed to Russian involvement.

Weidel's aggressive behavior and frequent interruptions of Merz were met with disapproval from the parliamentary speaker, who threatened to eject the disruptive lawmakers. The AfD secured nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt's recent election, compared to the CDU's 17%, and is now seeking to form a state government in collaboration with other political factions.