Huge protests against Merz: We are the cityscape! all over Germany!

Huge protests against Merz: We are the cityscape! all over Germany!

Last weekend there were widespread protests in several German cities against statements made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The reason was Merz's controversial comment about the "cityscape", which he made on October 14th. He spoke of a “problem” associated with migration. These words caused outrage across the country and many people expressed their displeasure.

In Hamburg, for example, according to the police, around 2,650 people gathered, while the organizers even reported 10,000 demonstrators. The motto of the demonstration was “We are the cityscape!”, and participants called for “standing together against racism and division”. Signs could be seen on site with inscriptions like “Merz out of our cityscape!” and “Friedrich, who is bothering you and your racism!”, which underlined the clear message of the protesters. An open alliance of various groups, including Die Linke and Fridays for Future Hamburg, called for this event. The AfD parliamentary group leader Dirk Nockemann, on the other hand, criticized the protest as the appearance of “professional outrages” and tried to diminish the importance of the demonstrations.

Protests in other cities

Demonstrators gathered not only in Hamburg. In Berlin, around 5,000 people protested at the Brandenburg Gate, organized by the groups “Parents Against the Right” and “Hand in Hand: We are the Firewall”. The police estimated the number of participants at around 1,800. Here, some speakers remembered the victims of racially motivated attacks, which illustrated the personal and social weight of the protests.

Around 300 people gathered in Magdeburg, while around 500 participants were counted in Hildesheim. There, a representative of an Afghan women's association expressed her dismay at Merz's comments. Other cities such as Leverkusen, Siegburg, Nuremberg and Herne were also the scene of similar protests. In Essen in particular there were over 400 participants, although only 100 were registered. In Bonn there was even graffiti at the CDU district headquarters, which led to state security investigations.

Social reactions to Merz’s statements

The reactions to Merz’s statements are complex. Critics such as 16-year-old Max Schneller described his statements as “rhetorical arson” and pointed out the dangers that such discourses can pose. Luna Moebius, a political consultant, also accused Merz of social division and called for more empathy. Özgür Özvatan from Humboldt University summed it up when he pointed out the often lack of connection between progressive parties and migrant communities.

Merz himself responded to the wave of criticism by announcing that he wanted to differentiate the Union more clearly from the AfD and emphasized that there was no agreement with the right-wing party. This happened as part of a closed meeting of the CDU leadership in Berlin-Grunewald, which took place on Monday.

The demonstrations clearly show that society is vigilant and is defending itself against racism and division. Further protests are planned in cities such as Trier, Bremen, Hanover, Augsburg and Mannheim in the coming days, a clear sign of the determination to stand against discrimination and injustice.

For many, the question remains: What does the current debate mean for future integration and migration policy in Germany? The coming months will show in which direction the discussion will develop.

For more information and details about the protests, you can check out the coverage of daily news and taz read up.