A political storm has erupted across Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz referred to migration as a “cityscape problem.” While the remark triggered accusations of racism and insensitivity, one unexpected voice has stepped in to support him: Wolfgang Büscher, spokesperson for the Christian children’s charity “Die Arche.”
“If people perceive it that way, then it’s a fact”
In an interview with WELT TV, Büscher argued that Merz’s words reflected realities that many residents experience daily in major cities.
“If the public perceives the cityscape this way, then it is a fact,” he said, adding that the Chancellor “is not wrong” to address visible social fragmentation.
Büscher described the situation in some urban districts as increasingly polarized. During a recent visit to the organization’s center in Munich-Moosach, he noted that nearly 95 percent of children there come from refugee families, mainly from Arabic-speaking countries.
According to him, parents in these neighborhoods fear for their children’s safety and future. “People worry about schools, about apartments,” he said. “Many express frustration by saying: I’ll take revenge on politics — I’ll vote for the AfD.”
Social divide and “prosperity socialism”
Büscher also criticized what he called “prosperity socialists” — affluent Germans who champion immigration yet remain detached from the realities of low-income districts. “They support open borders, but they never live where the consequences are most visible,” he remarked.
He urged policymakers to take citizens’ concerns seriously: “When people feel heard and respected, they’ll turn again to centrist democratic parties.”
“Hatred of everything German” in some districts
Büscher claimed that certain Berlin neighborhoods show worrying trends: antisemitism, hostility toward Israel, and “an emerging hatred of everything German.” These, he said, are not isolated incidents but recurring patterns that must be confronted through education, integration, and stronger social policy.
To address the tension, he suggested decentralizing refugee housing, improving vocational training, and even introducing an “education or apprenticeship obligation” for young migrants to enhance integration.
The Chancellor’s controversial statement
Merz made his initial comment during a press conference in Potsdam, where he discussed strategies to curb support for the far-right AfD. After highlighting progress in migration policy, he added:
“Of course, we still have this problem visible in the cityscape.”
Critics from the Greens and the Left Party accused him of fueling resentment against people with migration backgrounds, while Berlin’s CDU mayor Kai Wegner distanced himself, emphasizing that “Berlin is a diverse, international, and open city — and that will always be reflected in its cityscape.”
Despite the backlash, the Chancellor’s allies insist his intention was to address public safety concerns rather than stigmatize migrants. People close to him told German media that he referred to “known hotspots in large cities — for example, major transfer stations — where many citizens feel unsafe.”
Between perception and reality
The episode has reignited Germany’s long-running struggle to balance immigration, integration, and public perception. While experts warn against generalizations, voices like Büscher’s reveal a deeper unease: the growing gap between political rhetoric and lived reality in Germany’s urban centers.
