&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "AfD party files criminal complaint against German chancellor Merz over 'ethnic cleansing' remark")
Germany's far-right opposition AfD party on Friday (September 11) filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz over his accusation that the party is responsible for "ethnic cleansing," according to German media reports. Stephan Brandner, parliamentary secretary of the AfD's Bundestag group, called Merz's statement "criminal in nature" and "completely unacceptable." However, he added that his party remains "firmly on the ground of the constitution."
The development unfolded after Merz on Wednesday (September 9), accused the party of promoting ethnic cleansing during a heated parliamentary exchange, drawing loud protest from the opposition party's ranks. "The word 'remigration' is nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing," Merz said of the AfD's flagship slogan. "Remigration is nothing other than ethnic cleansing by skin colour and origin."
The AfD maintains that "remigration" simply means deporting foreign criminals and those who entered Germany illegally. However, some far-right figures have also utilised the term to refer to deporting migrants and even German citizens of foreign origin.
AfD lawmaker calls Merz's remarks ‘nonsense’
Brander, the AfD lawmaker, dismissed Merz's remarks as "nonsense," saying it was "unacceptable for the head of the executive of our country to come up with such lies and slander." Like many countries, Germany grants parliamentarians immunity for statements made within the chamber.
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That said, the law does carve out an exception for "defamatory insults." Beyond parliament, Germany's free speech laws have sparked considerable debate in recent years, with critics, including some within the AfD itself, arguing that the strict rules limit free expression.
In the recent past, multiple cases were reported in Germany where people were criminally investigated for insulting, mocking or harshly criticising political figures. In one of those cases, a court fined a man earlier this year for calling Merz in an online comment a "Lackaffe", which means a snobbish dandy. However, others have been investigated for calling him "Pinocchio" and "Lying Fritz".
