'Imported Antisemitism': How German leaders are blaming foreigners for country's woes
Germany's conservative party leaders have a problem - they're in charge now.
Under the leadership of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the conservative Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU) are now leading the federal black-red coalition government, with many of the Federal Cabinet's positions filled by Union party politicians.
The conservatives fought hard to win back a leading position in Germany, and their success means they're tasked with solving the country's problems, and there are quite a few difficult problems to be dealt with.
Rather than keep their eyes focused on the tasks at hand, a number of conservative party leaders have made comments casting blame on others. In doing so, they've taken a page out of the populist playbook - reframing any given problem as one brought about or made worse by foreigners, and claiming they can fix it by cracking down on asylum seekers, legal migrants, and even international students.
Here are a few recent examples of CDU or CSU leaders blaming immigrants and foreigners for various issues.
'Imported Antisemitism'
The most high-profile example came during
Friedrich Merz's visit to Washington D.C. to meet US President Trump
, when the Chancellor suggested, in an interview with the right-wing television network
Fox News,
that Germany was dealing with "imported antisemitism".
READ MORE:
German Chancellor suggests immigrants have 'imported antisemitism'
'We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down," Merz told
Fox News
. "We are prosecuting those who break the law, and frankly, we have a sort of imported antisemitism with this big number of migrants that we have within the last ten years.'
US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 5, 2025.(Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
The interviewer had referred to a
report
by RIAS (the Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism), which noted an 80 percent rise in antisemitic incidents between 2023 and 2024. While the report does note a marked increase in incidents attributed to 'foreign ideology,' it nonetheless found that the primary motive behind antisemitic crimes remained right-wing extremist ideology (48 percent).
The phrase "imported antisemitism" in German (
importierter Antisemitismus)
has previously been called out by the independent organisation
Unwort des Jahres
as a discriminatory and malicious phrase used by the far-right .
Advertisement
Education
In May, education minister Karin Prien (CDU) made a speech to Germany's largest teachers' union (GEW) in which she announced plans for sweeping reforms and said the government would 'invest billions in
Kitas
and schools.'
READ MORE:
What parents in Germany should know about the planned schools shake up
However, the implication that a relative decline in educational achievement in Germany can be blamed on the number of children who start school with a poor command of German is problematic.
While this is undoubtedly one issue facing German schools, it certainly isn't the whole story.
Social inequality expert Marcel Helbig, from Germany's Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories, pointed out that ... "The performance at
Gymnasien
(academic secondary schools), where there are hardly any migrant kids, has also fallen very sharply.
"It is more than just a migrant-specific problem that we are dealing with here,' he added.
Prien also talked about mandatory support for children whom the tests identify as being behind in their development. Again, the implication seems to be that recent arrivals in the country are somehow unwilling to integrate or accept support on behalf of their children.
Healthcare
The Federal Ministry of Health recently confirmed that positions for more than 5,000 general practitioners (GP) were vacant in Germany at the end of 2023.
In response, Sepp Müller, deputy chairman of the Christian Democrat (CDU) parliamentary group, told
Bild
that his party was looking at
making international medical students pay for their university tuition
if they left Germany within five years of graduating.
As of now, it seems unlikely that the idea will become government policy. Instead, it feels like yet another attempt to frame a complex healthcare problem as a problem of immigration – of ungrateful foreigners exploiting German generosity.
READ ALSO:
How foreign students contribute far more to Germany than they cost
Advertisement
A toxic tone on the topic of immigration broadly
Zooming out a bit, the Union's bigger election promise to crackdown on migration is based on an underlying presupposition that many of Germany's problems would be solved if the country had less immigrants.
Merz has never made a secret of his desire to pursue a 'migration turnaround'.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt delivers a statement as he visits the border control station Kiefersfelden. Photo: Michaela Stache / AFP
On television in 2023,
he insisted that asylum arrangements in Germany needed to be reviewed. On a program on
Welt
he said, "
We need to talk about the pull factors here in Germany...'
He accused asylum seekers of "sitting at the doctor's office and getting their teeth redone, while German citizens next door can't get appointments.'
Germany's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, has
echoed these words recently
, describing his desire to 'reduce the pull factors' in Germany. In practice, he has suggested, this means less "compassion" and more "order".
READ ALSO:
'Scarier things to come' - How foreigners view Germany's immigration crackdown
Who is the new German minister in charge of immigration?
Advertisement
It appears that Merz and Dobrindt's habit of talking about criminals and people who want to exploit Germany's generosity has rubbed off on many of their colleagues, even when they are discussing topics that have little to do with immigration.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
Trump's 'Short Attention Span' Led to Changes to NATO Summit to Avoid Any 'Truth Social Bombshells,' Diplomats Say
Next week's NATO summit in The Hague will be brief compared to past events, with organizers reportedly tailoring the agenda to President Donald Trump's limited focus . Typically structured around multiple long strategy sessions, this year's gathering has been slimmed down to a single 2.5-hour meeting. The summit communiqué, which often runs dozens of paragraphs, will reportedly fit on one sheet of A4 paper—just five paragraphs long. "It is about keeping the summit focused, short and sweet," an NATO diplomat told The Times anonymously. "Trump can be impatient and has said it himself—[he has] a short attention span. The shorter the better." Behind the scenes, officials are determined to avoid the kind of diplomatic blowups that have followed previous summits, where Trump has stormed out early or lashed out on social media. "Will there be a late night or early morning Truth Social bombshell if he has a summit snit?" one alliance diplomat mused. Trump's impatience was on display this week when he departed the G7 summit a day early, despite reports that that the agenda was similarly tailored with the goal of capturing Trump's engagement. Time normally dedicated to group sessions was cleared for one-on-ones, and brief written statements replaced a longer summit communique. The NATO summit will have a laser-tight focus on a single goal: getting members to commit to a new defense spending target. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, the former Dutch prime minister, is aiming for defense spending at 5% of GDP — 3.5% in core military spending and 1.5% in broader defense-related budgets. The target date remains under debate, with the U.S. calling for 2032, while U.K. Labour leader Keir Starmer prefers a less aggressive rollout by 2035. The spending pledge is expected to be framed as a personal victory for Trump, who has long blasted allies for failing to pay their share for collective defense. Trump will not hold a press conference with Rutte—a departure from tradition that further signals the alliance's desire to keep the event as tightly controlled and drama-free as possible. Originally published on Latin Times
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Nippon, US Steel Say They Have Completed Partnership Deal
Nippon Steel and US Steel announced Wednesday they have completed a partnership deal in which the US government will essentially have veto power over significant decisions affecting US jobs. The agreement modifies a transaction originally announced in December 2023 in which Nippon Steel of Japan had agreed to acquire US Steel for $14.9 billion. But the outright acquisition of the iconic US company sparked bipartisan political opposition, including from President Donald Trump, whose administration worked with the companies on a revamped deal in which the US government will have a "golden share" of the company that gives it a say on Nippon's plans for the assets. Trump, who railed against the proposed deal throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, last month announced a pivot he described in a May 23 social media post as a "planned partnership" in which Nippon pledged to invest billions of dollars and retain its headquarters in Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, US Steel filed a notice with US securities regulators to delist its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. The NYSE halted trading, pointing to a "merger effective" order. "The Companies have now completed the transaction as contemplated by their merger agreement," Nippon and US Steel said in a joint press release. "The Companies have also entered into a National Security Agreement with the US Government, and US Steel will issue a Golden Share to the US Government." Under the December 2023 transaction, Nippon agreed to pay $55 per share for US Steel, an all-cash deal that included a 40 percent premium. While the transaction included a pledge to maintain the name US Steel and the company's Pittsburgh headquarters, industry watchers expected an exodus of US Steel executives. But after the deal sparked opposition from the United Steelworkers Union and a broad range of politicians, including then president Joe Biden and former Ohio senator JD Vance -- now Trump's vice president -- Nippon stepped up its lobbying efforts in Washington and Pittsburgh to win support for the transaction. In early January, shortly before leaving office, Biden blocked the transaction, saying that placing "one of America's largest steel producers under foreign control and create risk for our national security and our critical supply chains." But backers of the deal had been hoping the shift in political climate following the presidential election might revive the deal's prospect. Besides agreeing to the Pittsburgh headquarters and to maintaining US production, the revamped deal's National Security Agreement calls for a majority of the US Steel's board to be US citizens and for key leaders, including the CEO, to be US citizens. The US government's "golden share" will allow it the right to appoint one independent director and grant it consent rights for proposed capital budget cuts, the redomiciling of activities outside the United States and on acquisitions in the United States. "I am delighted that we have made this day a reality," said Nippon Vice Chairman Takahiiro Mori, who will serve as Chairman of US Steel. "We share President Trump's commitment to protect the future of the American steel industry, American workers, and American national security, and we look forward to building a stronger and brighter future for US Steel." Representatives of the US Steelworkers Union did not immediately reply to a request for comment. But USW expressed deep skepticism in a message to members on Sunday, saying the deal appeared to be "no more than smoke screen to allow a wholly owned privately held subsidiary of a Japanese corporation to be called 'American.'"
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
US Supreme Court backs Tennessee youth transgender care ban – DW – 06/18/2025
In a setback for transgender rights in the United States, the conservative-dominated court voted to uphold a ban on hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender transition surgery for minors. The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The court, which is dominated by conservative justices, voted 6-3 in favor of the Republican-backed ban on hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender transition surgery for patients under the age of 18, ruling that it does not violate the US Constitution's 14th Amendment. What did the judges say? "Tennessee concluded that there is an ongoing debate among medical experts regarding the risks and benefits associated with administering puberty blockers and hormones to treat gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder and gender incongruence," wrote conservative Chief Justice John Roberts. "[The Tennessee] ban on such treatments responds directly to that uncertainty." The Supreme Court ruling comes after several plaintiffs, including three transgender minors, their parents and a Memphis-based doctor who provides such care, took legal action against the Tennessee law, which they argued discriminates based on sex and transgender status, thus violating the 14th Amendment. But Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the court largely deferred to the state legislature's policy choices in upholding the ban without conducting a "meaningful judicial review." Dissenting "in sadness," she said the court had "abandon[ed] transgender children and their families to political whims." Chase Strangio, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, representing the plaintiffs, said that the Tennessee law has "taken away the only treatment that relieved years of suffering" for those concerned. The first openly transgender lawyer to argue before the court, Strangio added: "What they've done is impose a blunderbuss ban, overriding the very careful judgment of parents who love and care for their children and the doctors who have recommended the treatment." Trump declares US to only recognize two genders To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A setback for transgender rights in the US The decision represents a setback for transgender rights, an issue at the heart of the culture debates that have become a dominant feature of American political life. While the Justice Department under Democratic former President Joe Biden had challenged the Tennessee law, his Republican successor Donald Trump has taken a hardline stance against transgender rights. "Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children," read a January 28 executive order signed by Trump, who had said in his inauguration speech that his government would only recognize two genders: male and female. "This dangerous trend will be a stain on our nation's history, and it must end," it added. According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, a think tank that researches sexual orientation and gender identity demographics to inform public policy decisions, there are about 300,000 people between the ages of 13 and 17 in the United States who identify as transgender, plus around 1.3 million adults. Trans people in the US fear massive setbacks under Trump To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Rana Taha
