Overview
- Roughly 30 to 40 scholarship recipients walked out of the Deutschlandstiftung Integration’s Talisman-Preis event in Berlin as Merz took the stage, wearing stickers reading “Wir sind das Stadtbild.”
- In his remarks, Merz called Germany an immigration country and described immigration as a gain while stressing the state’s role in steering migration and urging self-scrutiny.
- Outrage in Brazil intensified after Deutsche Welle published a translation of Merz’s comments about Belém, which were widely circulated there.
- German and Brazilian commentary split sharply, with critics calling the Belém remarks neo-colonial and others, citing figures like Lars Klingbeil, defending leaders’ latitude to speak freely.
- Merz has said he looks forward to a conversation with President Lula, which is expected to take place in Johannesburg, positioning that exchange as the next potential inflection point.