AfD to file complaint against Friedrich Merz

Germany's far-right opposition AfD said it would file a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz after he accused the party of promoting “ethnic cleansing”.

AfD MP Stephan Brandner said in a video posted to X that the party had decided to file the complaint over Merz's remarks in parliament. Brandner called the comments “reprehensible” and accused Merz of lies and slander.

Merz said on Wednesday that the AfD's slogan of “remigration” was “nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing” and “ethnic cleansing by skin colour and origin”. The remarks drew protests from AfD lawmakers.

The AfD says “remigration” means deporting foreign criminals and people who entered Germany illegally. Some on the far right have also used the term to mean deporting migrants and even German citizens of foreign origin.

Germany gives parliamentarians immunity for comments made in the chamber, but the law includes an exception for defamatory insults. German free speech laws have drawn controversy in recent years, including criminal investigations or court cases over insults and harsh criticism directed at political figures.