But also religious freedom
Merz: Buying a Christmas tree is German culture
December 21, 2023, 3:31 a.m
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The CDU is talking about dominant culture again. This should include elementary things such as respect for basic and human rights, respect for the rule of law and tolerance. But that’s not enough for party leader Merz.
CDU party leader Friedrich Merz counts buying a Christmas tree as part of German culture. “When we talk about dominant culture, about our way of life, then for me that includes buying a Christmas tree before Christmas,” Merz told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “It is the kind of Christian-Occidental cultural identity that is transmitted through generations, that our children are influenced by, and that they then carry on themselves in one way or another.” In Germany, the custom of putting up a coniferous tree decorated with candles at Christmas has been widespread for a good 150 years.
For him, the dominant culture also includes religious freedom in the comprehensive sense, added Merz. “I’m a bit surprised that it’s apparently a problem for many people when we say it like that.”
A week and a half ago, the CDU presented the draft for its fourth basic program, with which it wants to return to government responsibility in the federal government. The topics of integration and migration take up a lot of space. The CDU calls for “courage to adopt a dominant culture”: “Only those who commit to our dominant culture can integrate and become German citizens,” it says in the document. The CDU’s core culture includes respect for the dignity of every individual, the rule of law, respect and tolerance, the “awareness of home and belonging” and the recognition of Israel’s right to exist.
The term “German dominant culture” was first coined in 1998 by CDU domestic politician Jörg Schönbohm. However, it only sparked a broad public discussion two years later when Merz used it in connection with a change in immigration law.