German far right’s ‘remigration’ plans amount to ethnic cleansing, says Merz – POLITICO

BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday that plans put forward by the far-right Alternative for Germany for a tough migration crackdown would devastate the German economy.

“’Remigration’ is nothing more than a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin color,” Merz said during a speech in the Bundestag, in his sharpest attack yet on the surging AfD after a dismal election defeat for his center-right Christian Democratic Union.

“One in six workers in the skilled trades holds a foreign passport. If those who work in Germany are forced to leave the country again because you’re championing ‘remigration’, then the skilled trades in Germany will no longer be able to function. Then not a single nursing home would remain open, and not a single hospital in Germany would continue to operate. Then not a single restaurant could stay in business in Germany. That would be the result of your immigration policy,” he added.