German Parliament Rejects Controversial Immigration Bill Backed by Far-Right AfD

German Parliament Rejects Controversial Immigration Bill Backed by Far-Right AfD

The German parliament has rejected an immigration bill proposed by opposition leader Friedrich Merz, which had the backing of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The bill aimed to tighten migration controls but was narrowly defeated with a vote of 350 to 338, with five abstentions. The rejection followed a controversial non-binding motion passed earlier in the week with AfD support, breaking Germany’s long-standing political “firewall” against cooperation with the far right and sparking nationwide protests.

The bill, known as the “influx limitation law,” was deemed historically significant, drawing an unusually full plenary hall, with some MPs reportedly leaving their sickbeds to attend. While Merz defended the proposal as necessary for national security, Chancellor Olaf Scholz countered that existing laws, if properly implemented, were sufficient to address security concerns. The debate over the bill was tense, with some members of Merz’s own CDU/CSU alliance and the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) opposing it or pushing for further review.

The controversy extended beyond parliament, drawing strong public and political reactions. A 99-year-old Holocaust survivor, Albrecht Weinberg, returned his state honor in protest, while Michel Friedman, a prominent German-French publicist and former deputy chair of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, resigned from the CDU in response. Critics pointed to historical parallels with the Weimar Republic’s political divisions, which allowed the Nazi Party’s rise to power. SPD parliamentary leader Rolf Mützenich urged Merz to distance himself from the AfD and restore the “firewall” against far-right collaboration, warning that his political legacy was at stake.

Adding to the pressure, former Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Merz for appearing to reverse his previous refusals to work with the AfD, while Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged him to withdraw the bill, saying it was a critical moment for Germany’s political future. Despite the political fallout, the AfD’s poll numbers remained unchanged at 22%. However, Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance saw a slight decline, dropping by one percentage point to 29%, while the SPD gained 1.5 percentage points, rising to 17%.

Public outrage over the bill led to widespread protests across Germany. In Berlin, demonstrators at the Brandenburg Gate displayed illuminated letters spelling “Hope and Resistance.” A CDU poster had the word brandmauer (firewall) crossed out and replaced with brandstifter (arsonist), symbolizing accusations that the party was fueling extremism rather than containing it.

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