Overview
- In a Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung interview reported on Nov. 10, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner publicly backed Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
- She labeled accusations of racism against him “malicious” and warned that such charges “relativize all racists.”
- The dispute stems from Merz’s mid-October remark about a “problem in the cityscape” made in the context of migration.
- Critics argue the formulation stigmatizes migrants by linking migration with criminality.
- Merz later said he meant migrants without permanent status who do not work or follow rules, while Klöckner cited examples like security bollards at Christmas markets and park closures as evidence of factual concerns.