Germany's AfD files criminal complaint against chancellor over 'ethnic cleansing' remarks

Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Friday filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz over his accusation that the far-right group's migration platform amounts to "ethnic cleansing," according to German media reports.

Parliamentary confrontation

Stephan Brandner, parliamentary secretary of the AfD's Bundestag group, said Merz's remarks were "criminal in nature" and "completely unacceptable," adding that his party stands "firmly on the ground of the constitution." The legal challenge follows Merz's first direct confrontation with the AfD since the party secured a decisive victory in Sunday's state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. Speaking during a turbulent parliamentary session on Wednesday, the chancellor accused the far-right party of threatening Germany's economic pillars with a racist campaign of mass deportation.

'Remigration' controversy

Merz specifically targeted the AfD's use of the term "remigration," declaring that the concept is "nothing but a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour." The statement drew applause from other parliamentary parties but triggered the criminal complaint from AfD leadership, who dispute the characterization. Germany's domestic intelligence service — the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution — characterizes remigration as an extremist concept that aims to create ethnically defined societies and expel all foreign residents.

Policy platform

In its Saxony-Anhalt election program, the AfD called for "remigration" policies to accelerate deportations of rejected asylum seekers and foreign criminals, embracing the terminology rejected by mainstream parties. For extremist groups, the term refers specifically to the mass expulsion of people with immigrant backgrounds regardless of citizenship status or generational ties to Germany. The AfD's electoral success in the eastern state has positioned the party as a significant force in ongoing federal coalition negotiations.