German politicians reacted with shock on Friday after opposition leader Friedrich Merz opened the door to cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on migration reform after an Afghan man was held in connection with a deadly knife attack. German mainstream parties have previously gone to great lengths to avoid passing legislation while relying on votes from the far-right party, a stance known as the "firewall." However, Merz said in Berlin that his conservative parliamentary g
They didn’t quite get it right:
The perpetrator was not due to be deported, he withdrew his request for asylum and pledged to leave on his own accord.
Merz didn’t agree to start a coalition with the AfD, they merely agree on a key point (which is increased number of deportations for criminal immigrants).