After the electoral defeat, Merz warns: "Jewish lives are no longer safe"

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a day after his party's defeat in two election campaigns, stood before the cameras and warned of rising anti-Semitism in the country. Merz called the results "a heavy blow" and "a deep fault line," and pledged to do everything to ensure the safety of Jews in Germany, while defining the situation as "a disgrace to Germany."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a day after his party's defeat in two election campaigns, stood before the cameras and warned of rising anti-Semitism in the country. Merz called the election results "a heavy blow" and "a deep fault line" that "means a heavy blow that will resonate with us for a very long time." He claimed that anti-Semitism often goes unopposed by large parts of the public, and defined the situation as "a disgrace to Germany." Merz pledged to do everything to ensure the safety of Jews in Germany, and conveyed a message of reassurance to Jewish communities worldwide. Beside him sat the party chairman in Berlin, Stefan Evers, who tried to explain the stinging defeat by populist promises from the fringes of the political spectrum. Merz's warning is expected to remain at the center of public discourse in Europe.