Overview
- Friedrich Merz has declined to retract his comment linking a perceived 'problem in the cityscape' to migration and said, "I have nothing to take back," pointing reporters to ask their daughters what he meant.
- Green party members in Castrop-Rauxel filed criminal complaints alleging possible incitement; police in Recklinghausen said they will examine the case, and Berlin prosecutors confirmed receipt of a complaint for review.
- Around 2,000 people protested outside CDU headquarters in Berlin on Tuesday according to police, while organizers reported higher numbers, and a petition titled 'Wir sind die Töchter' surpassed 120,000 signatures within days.
- Senior Social Democrats, including Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, warned the language risks dividing society with a 'we versus they' framing, and federal integration commissioner Natalie Pawlik called the statements dangerous.
- Reactions in the conservative camp were mixed, with Nürnberg mayor Marcus König backing Merz's thrust while CDU veteran Armin Laschet criticized the phrasing as too nebulous and others in the party pressed for clarification.