Germany’s chancellor held a friendly meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, and said he hopes for progress on trade talks and putting pressure on Russia. More on DW.
Merz blames antisemitism in Germany on migration
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called the sharp rise in antisemitism in Germany a “terrible challenge” for the country.
“We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down,” he said during an interview on US broadcaster Fox News.
The number of antisemitic incidents in Germany almost doubled in 2024, a report released on Wednesday found.
It registered 8,627 incidents of violence, vandalism and threats against Jews in Germany.
In the Fox News interview, Merz blamed the increasing antisemitism on migrants.
“Frankly, we have imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years,” he said.
According to Wednesday’s report, antisemitic attacks came from all parts of society — from the radical left, Muslim communities and the far right.
The report found that antisemitic incidents with a right-wing extremist background reached their highest level since it started colleting data in 2020.
Merz has used the rhetoric of “imported antisemitism” before, something critics say fuels Islamaphobia and enables Germany to ignore the growing problem of antisemitism within its society.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-merz-extremely-satisfied-with-trump-talks/live-72794062