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he should have danced and tried the local cuisine in belem....

 

It's a tradition for German heads of government to at least briefly attend United Nations climate conferences. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his predecessor Angela Merkel did so, and current Chancellor Friedrich Merz from the conservative Christian Democratic Union(CDU) was no exception.

 

That's why he flew to Belem, the city in northern Brazil on the Amazon River, where this year's climate conference is being held. He was there for just a few hours at a time when he's facing significant political challenges back home in Germany, such as the dispute within his own party over the future of state subsidies for old age pensions.

 

What did Germany's chancellor say to make Brazil so upset?

Jens Thurau

Has Friedrich Merz insulted Brazil? Brazilian news outlets seem to think so after his remarks following a short trip to the United Nations Climate Summit in Belem.

 What German Chancellor Merz said about Brazil

After his return from Brazil, Merz attended a trade conference in Berlin last Thursday. There, he spoke quite candidly about his short trip to Belem.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Last week, I asked some journalists who were with me in Brazil: 'Who among you would like to stay here?' No one raised their hand. Everyone was delighted to be back in Germany and to have left that place," Merz said. 

Some observers in Germany believe that with this comparison, he meant to suggest that Germany has first-world problems which pale in comparison to the world's poorest places.

At the event, Merz spoke about the numerous challenges facing German society: the increasingly unaffordable pension system, the crumbling infrastructure and the polarization of society. He then connected this to his brief impression of Belem, which is among the poorest places in Brazil.

In Brazil, his words were received quite differently.

Igor Normando, the mayor of Belem, said the German chancellor demonstrated "arrogance and prejudice." His statement, Normando argued, did not match the observations of other attendees from Germany, which had been very favorable and full of admiration.

The Brazilian news portal Diario do Centro do Mundo wrote of an "outrageous comparison." Apparently, the author suggested, the German Chancellor does not consider Brazil to be a good place to live.

 Low-key response in Germany

While the Chancellor's remarks caused a stir in Brazil, the reaction in Germany has been rather muted. Few news outlets reported on Merz's comments.

Those who did so pointed out that Merz had made headlines in Germany just a few weeks earlier with a similarly flippant remark. Back then, Merz said his government's new tough immigration policy was having a positive effect, although there was still much to be done, adding "as is evident in the Stadtbild [cityscape]." This was seen as a blanket attack on all immigrants in the country, and the debate over precisely whom or what Merz might have meant dominated the headlines for days.

A government spokesperson sought to downplay the chancellor's latest remarks and give a more positive context. Merz had been able to hold a "productive and forward-looking" discussion with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the spokesperson replied to a DW inquiry, adding: "The Chancellor regrets that, due to time constraints, he did not have the opportunity to travel to the Amazon and experience the region's breathtaking natural beauty firsthand."

The brief statement concludes with the assurance: "The Chancellor has great respect for the achievement of organizing such a large international conference in Belem."

Meanwhile, Germany's representative at the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil, Environment Minister Carsten Schneider from the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) struck a different tone: "Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to get a first impression of Belem, this magnificent city, and its surroundings," Schneider said. "I saw an enormous amount of commitment, wonderful people, but also a great deal of poverty."

Meanwhile, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gave a humorous response to the German Chancellor's remarks.

Merz should just have gone to a bar in Belem, danced there and tried the local cuisine, he suggested, "because then he would have realized that Berlin doesn't even provide him with 10% of the quality of life that the state of Para and the city of Belem offer," Lula remarked laconically.

This article was originally published in German.

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-chancellor-friedrich-merz-brazil-belem-comments/a-74803781

 

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Germany pledges €1 billion to Brazil's rainforest fund

Kalika Mehta with dpa, Reuters

Germany’s support for Brazil’s new rainforest protection fund adds momentum to a global effort that will reward forest conservation, penalize deforestation and direct resources to Indigenous and traditional communities

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-pledges-1-billion-to-brazils-rainforest-protection-fund/a-74814439

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

beautiful....

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is a “Nazi,” the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, has said. The now-deleted X post came in response to Merz’s disparaging comment about another Brazilian city, Belem, which hosted the UN Climate Summit.

The German chancellor spent a day at the international event earlier this month. On returning to Berlin, he shared his impressions of the city in northern Brazil with the attendees of a trade conference in the German capital last Thursday.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world,” Merz said, adding: “last week, I asked some journalists who were with me in Brazil: ‘Who among you would like to stay here?’ Not one hand raised. They were all glad that we had returned to Germany, especially from this place we had just been to.”

His remark has caused a stir in Brazil this week, with a number of officials expressing outrage at what they perceived as contempt for their country by a Western leader.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Rio de Janeiro mayor Paes described Merz as a “Son of Hitler! Tramp! Nazi!”The Brazilian official deleted the post soon afterward, writing in another message that the tirade was his “way of letting off steam today.”

READ MORE: Latin America is China’s laboratory in Washington’s ‘backyard’

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva suggested that Merz only has himself to blame for failing to enjoy the delights of Belem to the fullest, saying the Brazilian city compares favorably with Berlin.

In a post on X, the governor of Para state where Belem is located, Helder Barbalh wrote: “it’s curious to see those who helped warm the planet find the Amazon’s heat strange.”

Speaking on Wednesday, the German chancellor stood by his controversial statement.

“I said that Germany is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I assume President Lula will accept that,” Merz said.

While Merz’s choice of words has not created as much of a splash at home, he has received some criticism.

Katharina Droge from the Green Party said the “image the Chancellor projected during his trip to Brazil was disastrous.”

https://www.rt.com/news/628038-germany-merz-brazil-city-comment-outrage/

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

domestics....

 

Youth-led protests sweep Germany as Merz moves to revive conscription (VIDEO)

Demonstrators across some 90 cities have denounced the legal change, which they see as laying the groundwork for full conscription being reinstated

Thousands of demonstrators have marched in cities across Germany to protest Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s plan to overhaul the country’s military service system, accusing the government of laying the groundwork for forced mobilization.

On Friday, the German parliament approved changes to the military-service law expanding recruitment and giving Berlin tools to reactivate conscription if volunteer numbers fall short.

Rallies took place in around 90 cities – including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Cologne – both before and after the vote. Footage showed protesters chanting anti-war slogans and carrying banners reading “No to conscription,” “We will not be cannon fodder” and “Your war – without us.” Protesters slammed the reform as “recruitment of death” and urged investment in education and welfare instead of weapons.

One protester told Ruptly she feared her teenage sons would soon be drafted, while another said: “Merz should go to the front himself and risk his own life.” Some linked the reform to Germany’s broader military buildup, warning that Berlin is preparing for a war against Russia. Several speakers argued the law – and the rearmament push overall – serves the interests of major arms companies rather than the public.

Germany abolished compulsory military service in 2011 and moved to an all-volunteer force. But amid a NATO-driven military, Berlin now seeks to expand the Bundeswehr, citing a worsening security environment. Last month, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius claimed Russia could attack a NATO member “as early as 2028,” using the warning to press for sweeping rearmament.

Under the new Military Service Modernization Act, all 18-year-old men must register for potential service by completing a questionnaire and undergoing medical screening starting in 2026. The reform stops short of reinstating full conscription but creates the legal basis for draft call-ups via lottery if voluntary recruitment falls short.

Critics say Berlin is relying on fear-based scenarios to force through unpopular measures and justify massive military spending. Younger Germans are especially opposed: a recent Forsa survey for Stern found that 63% of adults aged 18 to 29 reject compulsory service.

Russia has dismissed claims that it plans to attack NATO as “nonsense,” calling them an excuse for inflated military budgets and a way to distract the public from domestic problems.

https://www.rt.com/news/629104-youth-protests-germany-conscription/

 

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SEE ALSO: https://www.rt.com/news/628878-germany-merz-low-rating/

 

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READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.