Overview
- On ZDF’s Markus Lanz, Kanzleramtsminister Thorsten Frei said many chose to misunderstand Merz and argued he was pointing to consequences of unregulated migration.
- Merz declined to comment on the women’s open letter during a visit to the Handwerkskammer in Dresden, saying his focus there was vocational issues.
- About 50–60 signatories from culture, science, politics and civil society outlined ten demands including tougher prosecution of sexual and domestic violence, recognition of femicide in the penal code, better data, improved lighting and surveillance, and stable funding for shelters.
- The letter also calls for stronger protections against digital violence and racism, reforms to abortion law, and measures to bolster women’s financial independence and reduce old‑age poverty.
- Hannover’s Belit Onay and Ludwigshafen’s Jutta Steinruck criticized Merz’s wording as open to multiple interpretations that left many migrants feeling unwelcome, while activist Luisa Neubauer said the core problem is male violence rather than migration.