Overview
- Friedrich Merz refused to retract his Potsdam comment linking a "cityscape" problem to returns and defended it with "ask your daughters," later saying the matter was already clarified.
- Thousands rallied outside CDU headquarters in Berlin, with police citing roughly 2,000 participants and organizers claiming about 7,500, and another demonstration is planned in Kiel by Fridays for Future.
- Armin Laschet called the phrase too nebulous and cautioned that the AfD could exploit the ambiguity, arguing that solving problems will weaken the party more than merely naming them.
- Support from within the conservative camp included Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt calling city changes a fact, regional leaders Daniel Günther and Hendrik Wüst backing Merz, and Brandenburg’s Jan Redmann citing issues with foreign repeat offenders and women’s safety.
- Opponents accused Merz of divisive rhetoric, with SPD’s Ralf Stegner alleging he fuels an “Ausländer-raus” mood, Greens’ Misbah Khan likening his tone to the AfD and pointing to missing women’s shelter places, and journalist Günter Wallraff urging him to reconsider to avoid stigma and AfD gains.