Migrants responsible for increase in antisemitism, says Merz – DW – 06/06/2025
Skip next section Merz: 'We have imported antisemitism with big numbers of migrants'
06/06/2025
June 6, 2025 Merz: 'We have imported antisemitism with big numbers of migrants'
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has told US media that migration is a factor behind the rise in antisemitism in Germany.
In an interview with Fox News, Merz was asked what he was doing to combat antisemitism in Germany and he said: "This is, especially for Germany, a terrible challenge that we are faced with such an amount of cases of antisemitism in Germany."
"We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down," Merz continued. "We are prosecuting those who are against the law. And frankly, we have a sort of imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years, and we have to tackle this and we have to resolve this problem."
"I would like to make it very clear, that the German government, and the vast majority of the German parliament, is strictly against antisemitism and against these people and we are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down."
Merz's comments come on the back of data which earlier this week showed the rising numbers in antisemitic incidents in Germany.
In 2024, 8,627 antisemitic incidents occurred — 77% more than in 2023.
The data published by the Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) showed that of the cases documented, 5,857 were classified as "antisemitism related to Israel."
A total of 544 cases were attributed to right-wing extremist views.
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