Friedrich Merz: ex-US ambassador insults CDU boss

Köln –

First he wanted, now he no longer wants: The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz canceled his participation in the conservative “transatlantic forum” in Berlin at the end of August. Right-wing conservatives in the USA do not understand the about-face. Ex-US ambassador Richard Grenell attacks Merz after the cancellation on Twitter with clear words.

Grenell, who served as the US ambassador to Germany between May 2018 and June 2020, wrote on the short message service that the “head of the German conservatives” would bow to the “woken mob”. It continues: “The intolerant left around the world cannot sit and listen to dissenting voices. They exclude anyone they disagree with.”

The left wants everyone to think and say the same thing. The tweet ends with the words “Shame on the cowardly Merz”.

Initially planned participation by Merz triggered criticism

The planned participation of the CDU leader in the event of “The Republic” had in the run-up to the “transatlantic forum” in particular because of the further list of participants drawn criticism. The speakers announced include the Republican US Senator and Trump supporter Lindsey Graham, a representative of the US gun lobby and the lawyer Joachim Steinhöfel, who once represented the AfD.

Some German politicians were horrified by the initially planned appearance of Merz. The deputy parliamentary group leader of the Greens, Konstantin von Notz, explained: “Those who take part in such events make themselves politically impossible.” SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert also clearly criticized Merz.

State representation: “The speakers mentioned are very close to the AfD”

The CDU leader finally canceled his participation on Tuesday afternoon. The reason for the change of course was a “changed program,” he said on Twitter. However, a planned meeting with US Senator Lindsey Graham should still take place.

However, the CDU state representation left open in its message which guests were involved. Merz spokesman Armin Peter did not become more specific about what had caused Merz to cancel the “changed program”.

Mariam Lau: Participation of Broder and Steinhöfel decisive

Mariam Lau, political correspondent for “Zeit”, wrote on Twitter, however, referring to the CDU politician’s environment, that the participation of the journalist Henryk Broder and the lawyer close to the AfD, Joachim Steinhöfel, were decisive for the decision. “This AfD proximity of some of the other event participants is completely unacceptable for him,” Lau wrote about Merz’s decision.

The “Transatlantic Forum” is organized by the right-wing populist agency “The Republic” and was originally supposed to take place in the state representation of Baden-Württemberg. “After the organizer has named the other speakers of the “Transatlantic Forum”, we will withdraw from the rental agreement,” said the state representation on Twitter on Tuesday. “The speakers now mentioned are very close to the AfD. The event is therefore likely to damage the reputation of the state representation,” it said.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz had already made headlines last week when he first described the “cancel culture” as a threat to freedom of expression and a little later caused a stir with a tweet about an alleged “eco-lobby” in Germany.

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