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The politics of blame: Accusing immigrants won’t solve Germany’s antisemitism problem

theconversation.com · 1,130 words · saved by 1 readers

Oliver Schmidtke receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. University of Victoria provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR. University of Victoria provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA. View all partners In response to a report on the virulence of antisemitism in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently cast the blame on attitudes held by immigrants. Merz stated in a Fox News interview that Germany has “imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years.” Merz is pointing to a real and pressing issue. Yet his emphasis on so-called “imported antisemitism” serves as a convenient diversion from Germany’s persistent failure to confront home-grown antisemitism. His remarks also risk emboldening those who weaponize antisemitism as a rhetorical tool to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments. Antisemitic incidents in Germany have been on the rise since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Ham

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives for a cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on June 11, 2025. Merz recently stirred controversy by blaming migrants for antisemitism in Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-blame-accusing-immigrants-wont-solve-germanys-antisemitism-problem-258705 https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-blame-accusing-immigrants-wont-solve-germanys-antisemitism-problem-258705 Link copied Share article Share article Copy link Email Bluesky Facebook WhatsApp Messenger LinkedIn X (Twitter) Print article In res

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