"Ethnic cleansing” remarks: German chancellor faces police complaint from AfD

Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group has filed a police complaint over remarks by Chancellor Friedrich Merz accusing the party of promoting ethnic cleansing.

The complaint followed a speech by Chancellor Merz during a Bundestag debate on the budget, in which he said the AfD’s calls for “remigration” amounted to “nothing other than ethnic cleansing based on skin colour and origin”, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Stefan Brandner, parliamentary secretary of the AfD group, said the chancellor had “crossed the line again” and that his remarks could constitute a criminal offence. He described the comments as “completely unacceptable”.

Brandner said the AfD acted in accordance with Germany’s constitution.

The term “remigration” originated in migration studies. When used by right-wing extremists, it generally refers to the idea that large numbers of people of foreign origin should leave a country, including by force.

The AfD also uses the term, but says it refers only to the return to their countries of origin of foreigners who are required to leave Germany under the Basic Law, rather than German citizens.

By Aghakazim Guliyev