Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 15, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
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German opposition leader Friedrich Merz joins rivals in condemning U.S. VP JD Vance's criticism of Europe's hate speech stance at the Munich Security Conference.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz on Saturday joined his domestic political rivals in condemning U.S. Vice President JD Vance's attack on Europe's stance toward hate speech and the far right.
"We stick to the rules imposed by our democratic institutions," Merz said in a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference. Polls show his conservative bloc in the lead ahead of general elections in Germany on February 23.
Germany is a staunch defender of freedom of speech "but fake news and hate speech remain subject to legal restraints," he added.
His main political rival, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier on Saturday delivered a strong rebuke to Vance's attack on how governments in Europe seek to counter bids for political influence by far-right groups such as Germany's AfD.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; editing by David Evans)
The main topic is the criticism by German opposition leader Friedrich Merz of U.S. VP JD Vance's remarks on Europe's approach to hate speech.
Friedrich Merz is the leader of the German conservative opposition, currently leading in polls ahead of the German general elections.
JD Vance criticized Europe's stance on hate speech and far-right influence, prompting responses from German leaders.
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