Merkel Jeered on the Campaign Trail as Refugee Tensions Linger

Insisting that “people are doing better’’ than they were four years ago, Angela Merkel made her re-election pitch to a crowd of some 3,000 in a medieval town square in western Germany, a stump speech marred by a clutch of jeering anti-immigration protesters.

The chancellor was speaking late Monday at an election rally of her Christian Democratic Union in Gelnhausen, a town of just over 20,000 about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of Frankfurt. While most were placard-waving CDU supporters, several dozen supporters of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, blew whistles and shouted at Merkel.

The German leader didn’t acknowledge the protests in a 32-minute speech that covered the campaign themes of the diesel scandal, her CDU’s hewing to a balanced budget and pledges to increase domestic security. Yet the presence of loud demonstrators, a relative rarity during her rallies, hinted at the lingering tensions that have dogged Merkel since the refugee crisis exploded two years ago -- and the residual anger that could inject uncertainty into the Sept. 24 election outcome.

“I won’t vote for Merkel,” Alexander, a 31-year-old machinist who said he was among those who shouted “Merkel out” during the speech, said after the rally. The town native, who gave only his first name, singled out the chancellor’s harsh stance on Russian sanctions for criticism, saying it would lead to “destabilization.” He said he wasn’t “with the AfD,” but pro-Russia sentiment is something he shares with the party.

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