German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has attributed European unrest to immigration and failed assimilation. He stated that this leads to citizens voting for extreme parties and causes tensions and riots in countries like France.
What happened
Chancellor Merz made these comments on the sidelines of the Invest in Germany Summit in Berlin, where he expressed concern that riots in France and Italy could spill over into other European Union nations. When asked about the reasons for the unrest, Merz admitted that it is "most likely" the result of "non-integrated people" due to "migration".
Merz's admission is significant, as he leads the same Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party that sparked the European Migrant Crisis of 2015 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Despite previously defending the need for continued mass migration, Merz's recent comments suggest a shift in his stance on the issue.
Other European leaders, such as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, have also linked the riots in France to mass migration. They have advocated for stricter approaches to migration and border protection, citing the need to prevent similar unrest in their own countries.
