German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday accused the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) of supporting Russia at the expense of Germany’s interests and promoting anti migration policies that he described as tantamount to “ethnic cleansing”.
Merz made the remarks in parliament after his party suffered a major defeat against the AfD in last weekend’s election in the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt, where the far right party won on an anti immigration platform.
He criticised the AfD’s support for “remigration”, a term used by the party in discussions about returning migrants to their countries of origin.
“If what is being advocated here, namely ‘remigration’, were to become reality, it would be nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour,” Merz said.
The AfD did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The party has previously rejected accusations of extremism, saying such claims unfairly portray its supporters.
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