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Merz Stands By 'Cityscape' Remark on Migration, Draws CDU Reproach and SPD Charge of Division

Internal CDU figures urge a change in tone to safeguard social cohesion.

Overview

  • After a CDU presidium meeting, the chancellor said he has “nothing to take back,” vowed to continue expanding returns, and argued parents of daughters would grasp what he meant.
  • SPD general secretary Tim Klüssendorf said reducing varied urban problems to migration “splits and destroys trust” and falls short of what is expected from a head of government.
  • CDU social-wing leader Dennis Radtke urged a more responsible style, warning deportations will not fix drug use, homelessness or youth disorder and could raise unrealistic expectations.
  • CSU leaders Alexander Dobrindt and Markus Söder defended the assessment as reflecting public perceptions, calling changes to city life a fact and backing large-scale returns.
  • Green lawmakers, including Misbah Khan, condemned the wording as racist, while Manuel Hagel and Joe Chialo pressed for more careful phrasing and Alice Schwarzer deemed it not racist but imprecise.