The backlash intensified after Merz was asked on Monday whether he wanted to retract some of the comment during a press conference that was largely intended to end an internal discussion about possible future cooperation with the far right.
“Let me ask you something in return,” Merz said. “I don’t know if you have children, but if you have daughters, ask them what I might have meant by that. I suspect you’ll get a pretty clear and straightforward answer. I have nothing to take back. On the contrary, I emphasize once again that we must change this.”
In response, Germany’s most well-known activist and a member of the Greens called on Germany’s young women to gather in front of the party headquarters of Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union party on Tuesday evening.
“There are approximately 40 million daughters in this country, and many of us have a genuine interest in ensuring that our safety is taken seriously,” Luisa Neubauer said in a post on Instagram. “What we are not interested in is being misused as a pretext or justification for statements that were ultimately discriminatory, racist and deeply hurtful.”
Merz has been known for occasionally blasting out polarizing statements that provoke fierce criticism. He, for example, emphasized that the Bundestag was “not a circus tent” when asked to weigh in on a discussion about raising the LGBTQ+ flag above the Bundestag to celebrate Pride a couple of months ago. On another occasion, before becoming chancellor, he referred to the sons of migrants as “little paschas” following attacks on police and firefighters.
In the past, Merz has also tried to siphon off AfD voters and take the wind from their sails by promising a sweeping migration crackdown. Despite his efforts, the AfD has continued to rise in popularity and has even surpassed Merz’s conservatives, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls.
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