Friedrich Merz made his first public appearance after the summer break on Wednesday, travelling to the village of Gey in Hürtgenwald to thank the emergency services who battled the largest forest fire in North Rhine-Westphalia's history. But the chancellor's visit was overshadowed by an angry reception from some locals, who greeted him with boos and whistles.
As Merz arrived on the village square, a crowd of onlookers made their displeasure audible, at times drowning out his remarks. The chancellor, visibly unruffled, said he had deliberately chosen to come only after the fire was fully extinguished, two days earlier, to avoid interfering with the operation. He insisted he had been continuously briefed during the crisis and had asked local authorities what support they needed.
“I am not impressed by those who stand there shouting,” Merz told reporters. “I talk to the people who are not shouting, but who are working. I talk to those who help and to those who act in the interests of the community.”
The criticism was not limited to the crowd. Opposition politicians, particularly from the Greens, had accused Merz of “doing nothing” while the fire raged, noting that he remained on holiday while North Rhine-Westphalia's state premier, Hendrik Wüst, cut his break short to visit the affected area. The federal government defended the chancellor, saying he had been kept informed and could have intervened if necessary.
One member of the Hürtgenwald volunteer fire brigade expressed frustration at the hostile reception. “Those who are shouting and whistling should turn that negative energy into positive energy and become members of the fire brigade or of the THW,” the firefighter said, referring to Germany's federal agency for technical relief.
The blaze broke out during a recent heatwave and spread rapidly due to dry soils and parched woodland. According to North Rhine-Westphalia's agriculture ministry, between 300 and 400 hectares of forest were damaged or destroyed—an area equivalent to roughly 420 to 560 football pitches. At the height of the operation, around 1,400 emergency personnel and about ten firefighting helicopters were deployed, along with four armoured vehicles used to cut firebreaks.
The nearby village of Gey, home to about 1,800 people, had to be evacuated at times. After roughly a week, the fire was finally brought under control and completely extinguished.
Merz described the fire as a consequence of climate change, but stopped short of outlining specific policy measures. “I have come to Gey above all to thank the emergency services for their efforts and commitment,” he said, after viewing the scorched landscape firsthand.
The political fallout is likely to persist. At next week's cabinet retreat, the government is expected to discuss heat protection, climate adaptation, and how to respond to increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The debate comes as Germany already faces the prospect of more heat-related deaths—the country logged a record 14,000 in a brutal summer—and as wildfires rage across Europe, from the High Fens in Belgium to southern France.
For Merz, the visit was an attempt to shift the narrative from criticism to gratitude. But the boos on the village square suggest that, for many in Hürtgenwald, the chancellor's timing—and his absence during the height of the crisis—will not be easily forgotten.
