Last week, news of a round-table agreement banning criticism of immigration in Cologne made headlines—not least because it caught the attention of Elon Musk. Seven parties, from the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) to the SPD, Greens, and Left Party, had signed the so-called Fairness Agreement, pledging not to criticize asylum seekers or migrants during election campaigns. The agreement has existed since 2017, but now, ahead of the municipal elections on September 14th, it has finally cracked.
