Citizenship and democratic values
Merkel, a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician, made the remarks while accepting the International Mendelssohn Prize Leipzig at the Gewandhaus on Sunday. She said all German citizens constitute the people, regardless of whether they came from East Germany or arrived from Syria three years ago.
She accused populist parties of trying to divide the population by separating the people from elites and drawing distinctions between newer and longer-established citizens. Such efforts, she said, divide human dignity, stir hatred and provoke envy.
Merkel also called for resistance to enemies of democracy. "If we give up the factual, the Enlightenment is over," she said.
Junge Freiheit described her comparison as historically incorrect, pointing out that East German residents had held German citizenship from birth and did not have to seek asylum in West Germany when fleeing the SED regime.
The outlet linked her remarks to a provision under the previous coalition government that allowed migrants to become citizens after three years. It said tens of thousands of those eligible had entered Germany from 2015 onward under Merkel's migration policy.
Recognition for Merkel's European record
Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung, a Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician, presented Merkel with the prize in the "Europa" category. Clarinetist, conductor and composer Jörg Widmann received the "Musik" award at the same ceremony, held during the opening concert of the Mendelssohn Festival Leipzig 2026.
The Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Stiftung said Merkel was being recognized for advancing European unity and integration and helping hold Europe together as a community of peace and shared values. The foundation cited her years of influence and the responsibility she assumed during the euro crisis, the refugee crisis, Brexit and the COVID pandemic.
Jung praised Merkel as a leader guided by humanist principles who had shouldered the highest level of responsibility as chancellor, according to Junge Freiheit.
The outlet counted the award as Merkel's 18th prize or decoration since leaving office. Four weeks earlier, Schleswig-Holstein Minister-President Daniel Günther, also a CDU politician, had presented her with the Hermann Ehlers Prize.
Junge Freiheit reported that Günther also praised Merkel's migration policy. The outlet said that policy had brought several million foreign nationals to Germany and that a substantial share now held German passports.
The prize and festival
The International Mendelssohn Prize Leipzig carries no cash award. It recognizes people whose lives and work reflect the spirit of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Previous recipients include Richard von Weizsäcker, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Kurt Masur, Iris Berben, Helmut Schmidt, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lang Lang and W. Michael Blumenthal.
The festival runs from November 1 through November 8 and is part of "Tacheles – Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026."
Its closing theme day on Sunday, November 8, will commemorate the destruction of Leipzig's Mendelssohn monument by the Nazis on November 9, 1936, marking the 90th anniversary.
