German conservative leader met by angry protests

Berlin [Germany], February 5: German conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become the country's next chancellor, was faced with angry protesters when visiting a hospital in the western city of Cologne on Tuesday.
Merz, who is the top candidate for the opposition CDU/CSU bloc in Germany's upcoming national elections, has sparked outrage by using votes from the far right to pass a controversial motion on plans to reform migration policy in parliament last week.
Critics accuse him of breaking the long-standing "firewall" preventing cooperation with the Alternative for Germany (AfD), after his non-binding motion to tackle illegal migration secured a narrow majority on Wednesday thanks to the far-right party's support.
Following mass protests at the weekend, several hundred people demonstrated outside Cologne University Hospital on Tuesday as Merz visited the clinic's oncological centre to mark World Cancer Day.
Some protesters blocked the exits of the site to prevent the CDU leader from leaving. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune