Germany’s Merz pays tribute to slain politician, warns of far-right threat

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the grave of slain local politician Walter Luebcke on Monday and warned that far-right hatred and political violence remain a 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, the chancellor met Luebcke’s widow, Irmgard Braun-Luebcke, and other relatives. He shared a photo from the gravesite showing him standing with clasped hands as somber family members stood nearby.

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 was repeatedly threatened by far-right extremists for defending then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to admit refugees fleeing war and conflict.

Ernst was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison in 2021.

Germany has seen rising racism in recent years, fueled by propaganda from far-right groups and the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

German police recorded more than 42,000 far-right crimes in 2025, according to the latest government figures. That included more than 1,500 violent attacks targeting foreigners, immigrants or political opponents, with hundreds of people injured in incidents linked to far-right ideology.