SPD Chief Saskia Esken Questions Union Chancellor Candidate Friedrich Merz’s Fitness for Office over New Citizenship Comments
Esken, speaking to the “Stern” said, “Friedrich Merz is deliberately fanning the flames of right-wing populism and is not suitable to be Chancellor of all Germans.”
She criticized Merz’s demand to potentially strip naturalized citizens of their German citizenship, saying, “He makes these people ‘second-class citizens.’ People whose ‘ Germanness’ he apparently sees under condition.”
Esken added, “Friedrich Merz breaks with what holds our society together.”
According to Esken, Merz’s comments stoke mistrust against people with a migration background, saying, “This populist and divisive actionism generates mistrust against everything foreign and leads to great uncertainty in the migrant community.”
“Merz sees them as ‘Germans on probation,'” she said.
The issue arose from Merz’s statements that naturalized Germans with dual citizenship could lose their German citizenship after a second crime. Merz based his demand on the Magdeburg Christmas market attack.
“To prevent attacks or further crimes, foreign offenders should be deported at the latest after the second offense” the Union’s chancellor candidate said in the “Welt am Sonntag.”
To be able to deport dual citizens of the country as well, Merz brought up the possibility of revoking citizenship. “It should at least be possible to revoke German citizenship if we recognize that we made a mistake with straying individuals” Merz said. Until now, this is only possible in very few exceptional cases, such as when dual citizens fight for terrorist organizations abroad.