At the Talisman Prize awarding in Berlin, around 30 stipendiates left the hall in protest as Chancellor Friedrich Merz took the stage. The action targeted his controversial 'cityscape' remarks. They returned after his 20-minute speech.
The event by the Deutschlandstiftung Integration honored female and male athletes engaged in social cohesion. As Merz, the foundation's patron, began speaking, the stipendiates left the hall. They wore stickers reading 'We are the cityscape' and posed for a group photo in the entrance area.
Merz's remark dates to mid-October: He stated the federal government was correcting past migration policy failures and making progress, 'but we naturally still have this problem in the cityscape.' He thereby supported large-scale deportations by the interior minister. These words sparked a wide public debate and demonstrations.
In his speech, Merz praised the honorees: 'You are role models for so many young people with migration backgrounds.' He noted many had to make more efforts than those without immigration history and faced prejudices due to names or appearances, not abilities or character. Merz emphasized Germany is an immigration country and its history would have turned out worse without immigration. However, immigration must be shaped and controlled to enable successful integration.