Germany’s AfD Projected to Win Second State Election This Month, Chancellor Merz Refuses to Resign After ‘Disaster’ Defeat

Election winner Leif-Erik Holm (AfD)

Exit polls for the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania election suggest that the anti-mass-migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is on track for its second top-place finish in a state vote in less than a month.

According to German public broadcaster ZDF, the Alternative for Germany is currently leading in initial projections for the makeup of the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Die Welt reported that the AfD is projected to have won 38 per cent of the vote, followed by 36.5 per cent for the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD).

At present, both the far-left Die Linke (The Left) and Chancellor Merz’ Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are on course to surpass the five per cent threshold required to be allocated seats within the local parliament.

Should the CDU fail to meet such a threshold by the end of the count this evening, it could worsen the prospects of Merz remaining in power, which have faltered following his party’s disastrous defeat to the AfD in the Saxony-Anhalt local elections earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Die Linke is projected to have won the elections in Berlin with 26 per cent of the vote, followed by the CDU at 20 per cent.

Merz has reportedly been in crisis talks this afternoon at the CDU headquarters in Berlin as he looks to convince party bigwigs to continue to back his chancellorship.

Despite the second major defeat in a month, the Chancellor said on Sunday evening that he would not resign from his post.

In an address to the nation following the exit polls, Merz admitted that the result in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was a “disaster, but said: “Change takes strength. Not all of it will be applauded. In some areas the results will only appear after some time. We take on this responsibility, I take on this responsibility because I want to move our country forward.”

Since coming to power 16 months ago, Merz has seen his popularity continually decline, with his disapproval rate reaching a record high of 85 per cent following last month’s elections in Saxony-Anhalt.

For comparison, the previous record holder, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, had a disapproval rate of 76 per cent prior to last year’s elections, when his left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) was resounding rejected by voters.

Despite this, Merz immediately moved to form a coalition with the election-losing Social Democrats, rather than partnering with the AfD, which he has branded as beyond the pale, thereby enacting a so-called firewall against cooperating with the populist party.

Yet, the absurd situation in which the election losers remain in power has confirmed to many that the political establishment –whether they lean left or right — is merely two sides of the same coin and will act in the service of their own power over the well-being of the country and its people.

The move also significantly hemmed in Merz’s ability to enact swift reforms, as votes in the Bundestag depend on the left-wing SPD, which opposes lower government spending, tax cuts, and reduced immigration, all of which remain top priorities for the German public.

This has left a lane open for the AfD to grow on the right; however, the 13-year-old party is now dominating at the national level, holding a lead of 27 per cent to 20 per cent over Merz and the CDU and appears set to continue consolidating power at the state level.

breitbart

Italy eyes burqa ban and cap on foreign students in classrooms

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Sunday that her government is preparing measures to prohibit burqas and niqabs in schools and introduce a maximum number of foreign students permitted in each classroom.

Speaking at Fenix, an annual event organized by Gioventù Nazionale, the youth movement of her right-wing Brothers of Italy party, Meloni said the measures would soon be brought before the Cabinet.

The proposed rules would also require parents of foreign students who experience serious difficulties integrating into the Italian school system to learn Italian.

Meloni did not say what limit the government intends to establish for the number of foreign students in individual classes.

Explaining the proposed measure, Meloni argued that a student who does not speak Italian can more easily learn the language when surrounded by Italian-speaking classmates and teachers. When a large proportion of a class does not understand Italian, she said, the conditions needed for integration are undermined.

“Italian children cannot feel like a minority in the classroom,” Meloni said, adding that Italian students should not find themselves marginalized because they have become a minority in their own class.

Students without Italian citizenship currently make up 11.6% of pupils enrolled in Italian schools, according to the Fondazione ISMU research institution.

Meloni also announced plans to prohibit the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools.

“You must go to school with your face uncovered,” she said, adding that traditions should not be invoked to require young women to conceal themselves.

During her remarks, Meloni stressed that equality between men and women is “not negotiable,” either in schools or in public spaces.

The Prime Minister also addressed vocational education, announcing that the government intends to allow technical and vocational institutions to use the designation “liceo.” Meloni said the change was intended to emphasize that such schools and their students have equal value.

Turning to social media, Meloni said platforms should bear much of the responsibility for addressing mechanisms that can cause addiction among younger users. She rejected claims that her government had blocked a bipartisan proposal restricting social media use among children, saying the government had refrained from intervening because Parliament was already discussing the issue.

Meloni said restrictions would need to be practically enforceable and questioned how platforms could verify users’ ages without requiring people to provide identification.

She also addressed the approaching election campaign, urging her audience not to automatically accept everything they see in the coming months, particularly material appearing shortly before voting, and emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between authentic and artificially created content.

israelnationalnews

WHAT A COWARD: British Singer Ed Sheeran CRIES on Stage as He Takes a Shot at Trump’s America – Also Caves to Anti-Israel Mob on Gaza (VIDEO)

During a concert in Philadelphia on Saturday night, British singer Ed Sheeran broke down in tears as he attacked America and caved to the anti-Semitic mob regarding Israel and Gaza. Credit: NBC 10 Philadelphia Instagram screenshot

One of the world’s most famous and previously apolitical singers has conceded defeat to the woke mob in perhaps the most cowardly way possible.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, woke rapper Macklemore used some of his time on stage during British musician Ed Sheeran’s tour in America last week to go off on anti-Israel and anti-ICE tirades.

Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, aka ‘Macklemore,’ accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and issued a call to “Free Palestine.” He was later removed from the tour for his remarks.

In response, all supporting acts for Sheeran’s US Tour quit in solidarity with Macklemore.

Sheeran also came under heavy criticism from some fans and fellow musicians for removing Macklemore from the tour. But now, wants to let them know he is truly ‘sorry’ for showing some backbone.

Sheeran opened his show inside Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night by apologizing to the anti-Semitic, anti-American hordes before proclaiming himself as someone who tries to avoid political issues.

He went on to acknowledge the devastating terrorist attack at a music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023, before attacking the Jewish State’s “disproportionate” response to the attack.

As one will notice, he was emotional as he begged the mob for mercy.

WATCH:

SHEERAN: I am so, so sorry…I have never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important, passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.

I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division, about humanity, not politics.

But this is a humanitarian issue. I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel, and at the music festival on October 7th, was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.

What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate.

My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian life and loss of children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfolding in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.

Sheeran then apologized to those in the crowd who wanted him to refrain from speaking out on politics, but stood by his remarks.

“The one thing that I would like to apologize for is the first bit of the show where it wasn’t about music, and I had to talk,” Sherran stated.

“I understand that people have children here and I understand that families didn’t buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show, but that was something I felt like I needed to say,” he continued.

Sheeran closed the night by CRYING on stage while expressing gratitude to his fans. He then commented that America, under President Trump, is “a scary place,” as is the rest of the world.

The tens of millions of Americans who voted for Trump, who likely include some of Sherran’s fans, would take issue with that statement.

“I’m so grateful,” Sheeran said while breaking down. “The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope. This gives hope.”

“Thank you so much, Philadelphia,” he added. “Thank you so much. I hope you have had fun.”

thegatewaypundit

Jews in Berlin are calling on their community to leave the city if the Left comes to power in today’s elections

Medforth AI

Today, Berlin is holding an election for the 20th House of Representatives. Voting takes place in 78 constituencies: the first vote is for the individual candidate, the second for the party.
At the same time, the people of Berlin are voting for the twelve district councils. The last election took place on February 12, 2023 – a complete repeat of the botched election of 2021. The CDU and SPD have been in power ever since. Kai Wegner (CDU) remains Governing Mayor. However, his party is fielding Finance Senator Stefan Evers as its lead candidate.

In an INSA poll for Volt Berlin on the House of Representatives election, Die Linke is in the lead with 21 per cent, up one point on the survey of September 14. The CDU remains at 20 per cent. They are followed by the AfD (18 per cent, unchanged), the Greens (15 per cent, down 1) and the SPD (12 per cent, unchanged). The BSW stands at 5 per cent and would therefore achieve the five-per-cent threshold. Other parties account for 9 per cent.
The Berlin CDU candidate for Marzahn-Mitte, Bernd Siggelkow, described anti-Semitism as an “incredible problem” in an interview with the newspaper Die Welt. When asked about the consequences of the Left Party coming to power in Berlin, and the talk of expropriation and anti-Semitism there, Siggelkow said: “Some Jews in Berlin are calling on people to leave the city if the Left Party comes to power.”

NIUS 

France: Muslim woman stabs her daughter twenty times in the back and shouts “Allahu Akbar”

Allée René Descartes. Google maps

The details are shocking. At around 2 pm, the fire brigade was called to a flat on Allée René Descartes, where a seriously injured young girl was found. According to initial reports, a family dispute is believed to have taken place – for reasons as yet unknown – during which the mother is alleged to have stabbed her daughter around twenty times in the back.
The girl managed to leave the flat. She was subsequently treated by the emergency services and taken as a medical emergency to the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Her condition is life-threatening.
Shortly after the incident, the mother is said to have barricaded herself inside the flat and blocked the front door. Police officers, who had the keys, forced their way into the flat and arrested her. According to the same police source, the suspect is said to have shouted “Allahu akbar” at that moment. (…)

Le Parisien

The police advanced in a squad and entered the flat. “She was wearing a djellaba and was in the middle of saying her prayers,” said a second source. The suspect was arrested without incident. The officers found a blood-stained knife in the flat.

The mother was taken into custody. The investigation is now set to establish the exact facts of the case and the motives behind the crime. (…)

Actu17

UK: John Cleese hits back after Muslim activists call for Monty Python stage show to be cancelled

John Cleese. Screengrab youtube

John Cleese has sarcastically welcomed the calls for cancellation from a Muslim activist group after they targeted an upcoming show in Birmingham.

Mr Cleese is currently touring the country with his Holy Grail tour, where he screens the 1975 classic to audiences before engaging in a Q&A.

On Sunday, September 20, Mr Cleese is set to perform in Birmingham. However, local Muslim activists have called on organisers to put a stop to the gig.

Taking to X, the group, named Deenified, accused Mr Cleese of “using your platform to attack Islam” as well as “spreading dangerous misinformation and creating hostility towards Muslims.”

One of the activists added in a social media clip: “Let’s call out the hypocrisy: free speech has become a convenient shield for anti-Muslim hostility and vilification with no consequences.

“Free speech in this country is applied selectively. It only seems to extend to the groups the elites deem acceptable to vilify in order to meet their agenda.”

The activists ended with a plea to Birmingham Town Hall bosses to cancel the gig, claiming it “undermines public trust”.

The backlash stems from Mr Cleese’s criticism of aspects of Islam on social media. The 86-year-old has come under fire for several claims, including that the Qur’an is “all about killing infidels”.

The backlash stems from Mr Cleese’s criticism of aspects of Islam on social media. The 86-year-old has come under fire for several claims, including that the Qur’an is “all about killing infidels”.

He has also suggested that Muslim beliefs are “attacking British values” and said London is “not an English city anymore”.

The Deenified X account directed its campaign to Mr Cleese directly. “@JohnCleese You’re not a comedian—you’re a hate preacher. Birmingham and its community outright reject your so-called ‘comedy.’ You aren’t welcome here,” they captioned the aforementioned clip.

Responding to Free Speech Nation host Josh Howie on X after he’d reposted the clip while calling for British comedians to rally around Mr Cleese, the Monty Python star had his say.

He fired back: “Let’s see what they get up to. Islamic folk are often very good fun, with great sense of humour, and especially of irony.

“I look forward to an evening of laughter,” he sarcastically signed off.

At the time of publication, the show is still scheduled to go ahead.

Mr Cleese kicked the tour off in Basingstoke earlier this month. Previewing the tour, he told BBC South East Today: “We show the film, but I don’t watch it as I’ve seen it over 7,000 times.

“So, I go round the corner and have dinner and then come back and answer questions from the audience.

“It’s now rated as the 13th funniest film ever made and we had no idea what we were doing.

“The whole thing is a kind of minor miracle.

“It’s extraordinary. I come out and introduce the film for about 15 minutes and I tell them about the history and how we came to make it.”

Monty Python and the Holy Grail was the comedy troupe’s follow-up to their popular Flying Circus TV series.

It’s based on the Arthurian legend and features Mr Cleese as Sir Lancelot the Brave, the Black Knight, Tim the Enchanter, and other roles.

Fellow Python stars Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin star alongside Mr Cleese in the film.

gbnews

THE REMIGRATION WAR: Fed Up Dutch Clash With Police as Anti-Immigration Protest Turns Chaotic in The Hague (VIDEOS)

Screengrab Social Media/X, upscaled by Grok AI

Today, The Hague explodes in revolt – tomorrow, the whole of Europe.

Much like the rest of Eastern Europe, the Netherlands is a complete mess when it comes to immigration.

Sure, there are some faint signs of progress as you can read in Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece To Start Sending Illegal Migrants to ‘Return Hubs’ Outside the EU by Late 2027.

But that’s too little, too late. By now, reducing or even zeroing the intake of unassimilating migrants is no longer enough.

Citizens are now calling for remigration – an inevitable theme for Europe going forward.

But you can bet the Globalist forces will resist this to the end.

Today, at The Hague, a group called ‘We Are the People’ came out to protest against government policy, primarily immigration and asylum.

A planned march through the city center was banned by municipal authorities, a group of counter-protesters was wheeled in protected by police, and soon the chaos unfolded.

The Associated Press report is a masterpiece in Globalist framing of events:

“Dutch riot police dispersed several hundred far-right protesters in The Hague on Saturday after violence erupted and local authorities banned a planned march in the city against immigration and asylum policies.

Police officers made several arrests after some protesters started throwing fireworks and other projectiles at them.

Justice Minister David van Weel called on X for an ‘extremely firm’ response to what he described as ‘disgusting scenes’ at the protest. He said that demonstrators made Nazi salutes, chanted antisemitic slogans, attacked police and threw fireworks at riot officers.”

Watch: police arrests protester.

Bloomberg analyses the event, and completely bypasses the real issues:

“The rise of the far right, fueled by structural problems such as inequality and distrust in institutions, has become a headache for European policymakers in recent years. Like other European countries, the Netherlands has experienced a fragmentation of the political center, with fringe groups increasingly sowing chaos and fueling discord.

The riots follow a turbulent week in the country. On Tuesday, the official opening of parliament was disrupted by the sabotage of rail lines and roadside fires, plunging parts of the country into chaos. Some of these actions have been linked to farmers angry over proposed legislation to curb nitrogen emissions.”

They say nothing about the fact that citizens reject the Globalist policies emanating from Brussels and Strasbourg, such as unchecked mass migration – as protesters at The Hague – and ‘net zero’ lunacy – as the farmers.

It’s the remigration war, coming for the whole of Europe, soon. 

Before we part ways, they try to frame the nationalist protesters as animals and terrorists. But take a look at what an Eritrean mob did in The Hague a couple of years ago.

These are the terrorists.

The Netherlands deploys the dogs of war against its citizens to protect the enemy embedded inside their own society.

thegatewaypundit

Far-Left Protesters Attacked Restore Britain Leafleting Campaigners, Rupert Lowe Claims

Rupert Lowe. Wikimedia Commons, ©House of Commons / Laurie Noble, CC-BY-3.0

Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe has alleged that campaigners for his Restore Britain party came under attack by supposed anti-racist protesters while leafleting for the upcoming special by-election to replace former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the House of Commons.

Lowe said that while campaigning for London-based lawyer Tyler Johnson in the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras on Saturday for next month’s election, members of his party’s campaign team were attacked, resulting in a campaigner being hospitalised. The Great Yarmouth MP added that police were involved.

According to London’s Daily Telegraph, Restore said that their campaigner was accosted with scalding hot coffee.

The leftist Stand Up to Racism group said that Lowe and Restore were “trying to play victim”. The group has denied attacking members of the Restore campaign team, but said that they “confronted” alleged “neo-Nazi Restore activists”.

“Racists and fascists aren’t welcome in Camden, or anywhere else. We will and a confront fascists wherever they appear,” the group said in a statement.

At the time of this reporting, the Metropolitan Police have yet to confirm any details of the incident. At present, neither Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch nor Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham have commented on the alleged attack.

However, the incident did draw condemnation from leading figures from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, including Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf, who has infamously clashed with Lowe, including by accusing his former ally of threatening him with violence while Lowe was still a member of Reform. Lowe denied the allegations.

Nevertheless, Yusuf said on Saturday: ” If a political party cannot deliver leaflets in a parliamentary by-election without a crazed mob attacking them, we do not have a democracy.

“Make no mistake, these far left mobs – and the foreign actors funding them – will face an almighty reckoning under a Reform government.”

Prominent Reform supporter, Professor Matt Goodwin added: “Left-wing extremists routinely harass, abuse, and attack patriots and yet Westminster says nothing.”

“And now, after Ann Widdecombe, we hear that patriotic activists have been assaulted on London’s streets. If this was the other way around we would never hear the end of it.

“There should be NO place for political violence and harassment in our democracy. We shall wait for Labour and Green politicians to condemn the violence but I suspect we will be waiting a very long time.”

For his part, Restore Britain party leader Rupert Lowe called on the media and political establishment to “ease off on their rhetoric” about his party, arguing that by referring to Restore as Nazis is “evidently riling up these wild mobs.”

“Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, should be physically attacked in the street for peacefully campaigning. This has to end,” he said.

Challenge our ideas, criticise our policies, debate us on our platform,” Lowe urged. “Pushing for mass deportations is mainstream politics, backed by millions and millions of Brits. That is NOT ‘nazism’.”

breitbart

German Establishment Scrambles to Avoid New Victories by AfD in Tomorrow’s Votes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, While Chancellor Merz Fights for His Political Future

Riposte Laique

Germany is turning ‘AfD blue’, and the establishment is going crazy.

In the run-up to tomorrow’s regional votes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, the German establishment is frantically trying to find ways to keep the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from scoring new electoral victories after Saxony.

The much-maligned right-wing party has surged to 30% in national polls, clearing 10 full points over the ruling CDU, a situation that has led failing Chancellor Friedrich Merz to fight for his political future while his own party plots to oust him.

Merz now has polls showing that 78% of voters reject him – a historical record.

In many ways, the Pomerania and Berlin elections are in the spotlight as a gauge of the strength of the AfD.

In the meantime, MSM reports that Friedrich Merz’s days may be numbered, among a growing revolt from within his party.

The Telegraph reported:

“The surging AfD is hoping Sunday’s state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will be the final nail in the coffin of Mr. Merz’s chancellorship.

It risks marking the worst result in history for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), with the party at risk of failing to reach the 5 per cent threshold needed to enter state parliament for the first time.”

At this point, the polls suggest CDU will take just 6 percent of the vote in the eastern state, and could easily slip below the 5 percent threshold, and fail to even enter state parliament.

For 80 years, the CDU prided itself on being the absolute reference in German conservatism – but now, there’s only Globalism left.

“Rumors swirl that CDU party chiefs could order Mr. Merz to resign by the end of this weekend depending on the results in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the state election in Berlin, also occurring this Sunday.”

Merz cancelled his UN General Assembly appearance scheduled to remain in Berlin and avoid a party mutiny.

Politico reported:

“The chancellor has convened a high-stakes meeting of his party’s leadership on Sunday at 5 p.m., which will coincide with the state election exit polls at 6 p.m. At that meeting, Merz reportedly wants to ask his party allies whether they still back him and his reform plans. If not, he wants to urge them to put forward the name of a potential successor.

By seeking the confrontation, Merz will try to exploit a weakness of his critics: There is no clear consensus on who should take over.

[…] However, should the elections Sunday be a total disaster for Merz’ conservatives — the party could even miss the 5% hurdle to enter parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for the first time in any state election — frustration within the CDU/CSU could boil over and lead to broad calls for Merz to resign.

The showdown does not necessarily have to happen Sunday but could follow within the next days or weeks. Should Merz accept that fate, he could inform German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of his intention to step down. Steinmeier would then most likely ask him to remain in office in a caretaker function until a new chancellor is elected by parliament.”

thegatewaypundit