On September 9 local time, German Chancellor Merz criticized the AfD co-chairwoman Weidel's policy on deporting immigrants during a parliamentary session, stating, "If those people working in Germany are forced to leave due to this 'remigration' policy, then Germany's skilled trades sector will be unable to function; there will be no nursing homes able to operate; no hospitals able to function; and no restaurants able to continue business."
Merz also pointed out that allowing the AfD to implement its policies would amount to "ethnic cleansing within the technical workforce based on skin color and origin."
Previously, Weidel stated that within 100 days of the AfD coming to power, Germany would "completely close its borders and deport all illegal or undocumented entrants" (RT).
Merz’s warning is grounded in Germany’s severe demographic and labor realities. Germany faces serious population aging and a continuous decline in domestic labor supply. Data shows that one in every six workers in Germany’s crafts sector holds a foreign passport, and essential sectors such as caregiving, healthcare, and food services heavily rely on foreign labor. Merz emphasized that if the AfD’s extreme "remigration" policy were implemented on a large scale, Germany’s social service network would collapse outright.
Meanwhile, Weidel and the AfD have precisely tapped into certain citizens’ perceived pain points. Amid economic stagnation, rising prices, and high tax burdens, native Germans have not felt any "benefits from immigration," but instead believe that immigrants are occupying public resources and fueling security issues. The AfD attributes societal tensions to immigration and advocates for completely closing borders and mass deportations—an oversimplified and blunt solution that resonates with some voters’ anxiety.
The AfD’s explosive performance in recent regional elections has cracked the long-standing political firewall upheld by traditional mainstream parties: the firm stance of "never cooperating with the AfD in government." Even within the CDU, voices have emerged calling for loosening cooperation restrictions at the state level. Merz’s strong statement in parliament was largely an effort to respond to internal party wavering, aiming to demonstrate to the outside world that mainstream parties still possess the ability to draw a clear line with far-right forces and prevent the AfD from further crossing political red lines.
While Merz’s dramatic gesture—slamming the table in parliament—may secure a moral high ground in public opinion, it fails to address the root problem. Germany’s real crisis lies in the governing coalition’s inability to balance the dilemma between "attracting foreign labor to sustain the economy" and "calming domestic public sentiment."
On one hand, Germany’s economy depends on foreign labor; on the other, native citizens’ tax burden and income anxiety have remained unresolved for years. The CDU, led by Merz, lacks the AfD’s toughness on immigration and offers no immediate, tangible solutions on economic issues. This “neither here nor there” position is precisely why support for the CDU continues to decline and fertile ground for far-right ideologies grows increasingly widespread.
This parliamentary storm is not merely a personal confrontation between Merz and Weidel—it represents the concentrated eruption of long-standing economic and livelihood tensions in German society, now manifesting politically. Merz’s warnings of "ethnic cleansing" and "social collapse" aim to uphold the boundary of mainstream politics, but the AfD’s high vote count has proven that moral condemnation alone cannot eliminate the public’s real-world anxieties. Germany’s political landscape is undergoing profound change, and the most severe test facing Merz’s government is how to strike a balance between maintaining social functionality and responding to voter discontent.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875999148609604/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.