German conservative leader met by angry protests on campaign trail

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become the country’s next chancellor, was faced with angry protesters when visiting a hospital in the western city of Cologne on Tuesday.

Merz, who is the top candidate for the opposition CDU/CSU bloc in Germany’s upcoming national elections, has sparked outrage by using votes from the far right to pass a controversial motion on plans to reform migration policy in parliament last week.

Critics accuse him of breaking the long-standing “firewall” preventing cooperation with the Alternative for Germany (AfD), after his non-binding motion to tackle illegal migration secured a narrow majority on Wednesday thanks to the far-right party’s support.

Following mass protests at the weekend, several hundred people demonstrated outside Cologne University Hospital on Tuesday as Merz visited the clinic’s oncological centre to mark World Cancer Day.

Some protesters blocked the exits of the site to prevent the CDU leader from leaving.

Police initially asked people to disperse, before clearing a pathway allowing Merz and his entourage to drive off in black limousines amid booing from the crowd.

The atmosphere was very heated at times, with demonstrators waving banners with slogans like “No heart for Merz.”

Up to 1,500 protesters also gathered in the nearby city of Bonn where Merz attended another campaign event afterwards, according to police estimates.

Two demonstrators were led away by security personnel after shouting “Shame on you, CDU,” according to a dpa reporter at the scene.