AfD Politician Kirchner Draws Parallels Between Merz and DDR Ruler Ulbricht at Campaign Kickoff in Magdeburg

In his speech, Kirchner stated that he could no longer discern any difference in the manner of action between Merz and Ulbricht. He said verbatim: "Einen Unterschied in der Handlungsweise eines Friedrich Merz zu Walter Ulbricht kann ich jedenfalls nicht mehr erkennen." He also called the Chancellor a "Bruder im Geiste" (brother in spirit) of Ulbricht. In a further quote, Kirchner elaborated: "weil Friedrich Merz der Bruder im Geiste Walter Ulbrichts ist, wenn er eine Brandmauer errichtet".

Background: Ulbricht and the DDR

Kirchner justified the comparison with the so-called "Brandmauer" (firewall) policy of the CDU toward the AfD. He compared this strategy of demarcation by the Union parties from the AfD to the inner-German border, explicitly referring to the automatic firing installations once installed there. This invoked one of the most drastic instruments of repression in DDR border security, through which numerous people were killed or seriously injured between 1961 and 1989.

Walter Ulbricht headed the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) from 1950 to 1971 and was thus the defining politician of the early DDR. His tenure includes the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, which cemented the German division for decades. The comparison now drawn by Kirchner is part of a series of phrases from AfD circles in which current political opponents are equated with figures and symbols of DDR history.

Merz and the "Brandmauer" Debate

Friedrich Merz is the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and a member of the CDU. In his term of office to date, he has pursued the course supported by the CDU and CSU of excluding any coalitions or other forms of cooperation with the AfD at both the state and federal level. Kirchner's attack is directed against this policy.

The incident is part of a phase of heightened federal political tensions in the run-up to the state election in Saxony-Anhalt. The available reports made no statement regarding the exact date of the election or the official campaign appearances of the parties. The report originates from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Assessment of the Choice of Words

With the phrase "Bruder im Geiste" and the reference to automatic firing installations, Kirchner chose imagery that is extraordinarily harsh in the political discourse of the Federal Republic. Equating a sitting Federal Chancellor with one of the central representatives of the SED regime has been repeatedly criticized in post-1990 German political culture as inappropriate and historically impermissible when, as here, it is made without any differentiating context.

Reactions from CDU ranks to Kirchner's statements were not part of the available reports at the time of reporting. Statements from the Federal Government, other parties, or civil society organizations were likewise not available. The documented factual record is therefore limited to Kirchner's speech, the historical points of reference regarding Ulbricht, and the person of Merz in his function as Federal Chancellor.