Protesters walk out as German chancellor speaks at integration awards ceremony

BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced an unexpected protest on Wednesday evening at an awards ceremony when dozens of attendees walked out over his controversial migration remarks.

As the conservative leader began his speech at the annual Talisman Prize ceremony organized by the Deutschlandstiftung Integration, numerous attendees – mostly young men and women – stood up, turned their backs to him, and walked out of the hall.

Video footage widely shared on social media showed the protesters departing silently while front-row guests looked on in apparent shock. The annual Talisman Prize honors migrants with success stories and people who promote democratic values, social inclusion, and integration efforts.

The walkout was a response to remarks Merz made last month at an event in Potsdam.

There, he highlighted his government's strict migration policies and increased deportations of illegal migrants, saying they were correcting past policy failures.

"But of course, we still have this problem in the cityscape, and that's why our interior minister is now working on plans for enabling and carrying out deportations on a larger scale," Merz had said.

The chancellor's phrase "problem in the cityscape" drew sharp criticism from rights groups and opposition politicians, who accused him of using racist and discriminatory language. Critics argued his words echoed far-right talking points and stigmatized immigrant communities.