01 May 2017

German interior minister's call for 'leitkultur' draws fierce criticism

Politicians from most German parties are criticizing Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere's call for a "German dominant culture." De Maiziere says setting "German" values would create tolerance.

Lawmakers across the German political spectrum have criticized Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) for calling for a "German dominant culture," or "leitkultur."

With this latest iteration of the "leitkultur" debate de Maiziere "has overlooked something," said Jan Korte, the Left party's second-ranking Bundestag deputy. "And that something is the constitution. Everything's in there."

Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU aims to win a fourth consecutive national election on September 24, but has lost supporters to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) as some voters have taken an increasingly aggressive stance on national borders. [Deutsche Welle] Read more