German Chancellor Says Far-Right Hatred Threat to Democracy
"Walter Luebcke was a loving husband and father, a committed Christian Democrat, and a politician respected across party lines," Merz said in a statement on social media. "This murder must continue to serve as a warning for us," he said.
Ahead of the seventh anniversary of the killing on Tuesday, Merz met with Luebcke's widow, Irmgard Braun-Luebcke, and other family members at the gravesite, sharing an image of himself standing with clasped hands alongside grieving relatives.
Luebcke, who served as district president in Kassel near Frankfurt, was shot dead by neo-Nazi Stephan Ernst on the terrace of his home on June 2, 2019. The conservative politician had been subjected to sustained far-right threats for publicly supporting then-Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to accept refugees fleeing conflict.
Ernst was arrested in 2019 and handed a life sentence in 2021.
The anniversary arrives as Germany confronts a measurable surge in far-right activity, stoked by extremist propaganda and the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. German authorities recorded more than 42,000 far-right crimes in 2025, per the latest government data — including over 1,500 violent attacks targeting foreigners, immigrants, and political opponents, with hundreds sustaining injuries in incidents linked to far-right ideology.
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