Merz confronts AfD in Bundestag: “You are a destructive force”

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and AfD co-leader Alice Weidel clashed sharply in the Bundestag on 9 September 2026, as lawmakers held a heated general debate in the wake of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt. The exchange, punctuated by frequent interruptions from AfD benches, turned into a high‑decibel confrontation between the government and the far‑right opposition.

Alice Weidel opened the session as the first speaker for the largest opposition group and used her floor to mount a string of attacks on the federal government and on Merz personally. Echoing AfD rhetoric after the Saxony‑Anhalt vote, she declared: "The black‑red coalition is finished," and insisted voters demanded a wholesale change of policy and that AfD aims to lead at federal level soon.

Direct counterpunch from the chancellor

When Friedrich Merz replied, the room remained noisy and tense. He addressed AfD with unusually blunt language: "You are a destructive force." Merz underlined that AfD had not won an outright majority in Saxony‑Anhalt and warned: "Nowhere in Germany with this policy will you get a majority." His speech was repeatedly disrupted by shouts from AfD MPs.

Merz also accused the party of a contempt for democratic institutions and of personal denigration of state representatives: "What characterises you is contempt for our democratic institutions and the constant personal disparagement of representatives of our state." He drew a broad distinction between AfD positions and those of other parties across foreign, European and social policy.

Turning to migration proposals, Merz warned against the language and aims he said lay behind some AfD plans. He said: "The word remigration is nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and colour of skin," and reminded MPs of the millions of people with migration backgrounds who work in Germany’s crafts, care and other sectors.

Julia Kloeckner, president of the Bundestag for the sitting, repeatedly admonished deputies for the interruptions and warned AfD MPs that they could be removed from the chamber. Merz thanked her but said he expected the AfD parliamentary group to continue seeking to destabilise proceedings. He also acknowledged communication failures around government reforms: "The task of government is to explain the point of reforms, and perhaps this is precisely where we have most often failed so far," he said. "And I do not exempt myself from that." Merz closed with a call to carry on with the reform course for cohesion and progress.

Photo: press material from the event