GOVERNMENT

Armin Laschet

German politician

The chosen successor of long-serving German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Armin Laschet -- the prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous federal state in the German Republic – led the center-right CDU/CSU in 2021’s bitterly-fought German election. A stalwart supporter of Israel and fighter against antisemitism throughout his career (Laschet was condemning the antisemitism in Palestinian textbooks as a Member of the European Parliament back in 2001), he called for a ban on the display of the Hamas flag at demonstrations in Germany in May, during the renewed conflict in Gaza. “Antisemitism, marginalization and discrimination have no place in Germany,” Laschet declared. “Our commitment is: Never again. Never again violence and hatred against Jews.” As prime minister of his home state, meanwhile, Laschet initiated a programme of joint visits to Auschwitz for Christian, Jewish, and Muslim young people aged 16 to 24 and ruled out cooperation between his party and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). (Photo: Wikimedia / Creative Commons License)