Monday, February 3
Over 160,000 protest “firewall” collapse; CDU meet to discuss “immediate” new asylum policy
Judging by the events of recent months, Berlin news follows a grim pattern: when one story dominates the headlines, the situation is likely dire. This weekend was no exception to the rule, as at least 160,000 people took to the streets of the German capital to demand that major political parties uphold the unofficial “firewall” agreement. This long-standing pact had previously prevented the far-right AfD from influencing national policy – until last week, when the CDU’s restrictive “five-point plan” on migration passed its first-round vote in the Bundestag with AfD support, sparking days of protest.
At the large scale demonstrations yesterday in Berlin, author Michael Friedman, who recently left the CDU in protest of the party’s new measures, condemned the AfD as a “party of hate.”
His former party, however, show no sign of changing course. The CDU is set to meet today at its Berlin conference to discuss an “immediate programme” on economic and asylum policy. The programme, which they would like to introduce swiftly following this month’s election, includes party leader Friedrich Merz’s controversial five-point plan, a proposal which calls for permanent border controls, immediate detentions, and significantly increased deportations—measures so restrictive that the AfD has accused Merz of copying their policies.
Merz has insisted there will be no cooperation with the AfD. Given last week’s events, however, that remains to be seen.
