Enlarge image
CDU leader Merz (in the Bundestag): "The Nazi club won't get us anywhere"
Photo: Marco Rauch / dpa
CDU party leader Friedrich Merz has praised the nationwide demonstrations against right-wing extremism and at the same time warned against calling the AfD a Nazi party.
"I think it's an extremely encouraging sign of a vibrant democracy that such a large number of people are taking to the streets," said Merz on Sunday evening on the ARD program Caren Miosga.
They demonstrated “for the preservation of our democracy, our constitutional state, our freedom” and he thinks that’s great.
"We're already participating and that's okay," added Merz, referring to the CDU and CSU.
At the same time, the opposition leader in the Bundestag contradicted North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU), who had called the AfD a “Nazi party”.
»Of course there are real National Socialists there.
But that doesn’t mean that the voters of this party are all Nazis,” emphasized Merz.
"And if we want to win them back for the democratic parties in our country, then we must not insult them." It is more important to solve the problems in the country, then the support for the right-wing party will decrease again.
“The Nazi club won’t get us anywhere.”
Merz reiterated the CDU's rejection of cooperation with the AfD, but admitted that demarcation at the local level is sometimes difficult - but this applies to all parties.
The CDU or SPD could not withdraw a proposal just because the AfD ultimately voted for it.
At the same time, the CDU leader called on citizens to become more involved in the centrist political parties.
"If one in ten of those who demonstrated today joins a political party tomorrow, be it the SPD, the FDP, the Greens, the CDU, the CSU, then at least that much will be helped," he emphasized.
The lack of cooperation “is also part of the weakness of our democracy.”
phw/Reuters