The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) filed a criminal complaint for defamation against Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The measure was announced by the party's parliamentary group on Friday, two days after Merz stated, in a speech in Parliament, that the party's proposed 'remigration' policy is equivalent to 'ethnic cleansing' based on origin and skin color.
The party argues that Merz's statements are 'criminally relevant' and should be held legally accountable. The AfD reacted this way to the serious accusation made by the chancellor during the debate.
Merz's speech occurred during a tense debate in the Bundestag, the German Parliament, on Wednesday, after harsh criticism of the government made by the AfD's co-leader, Alice Weidel. When responding to the parliamentarian, the chancellor argued that millions of people of migrant origin work in specialized professions in Germany and stated that implementing the policy advocated by the party would represent 'ethnic cleansing'.
