"Can only laugh" - Hagel attacks Greens - CDU’s Hagel mocks Greens’ sudden shift to pro-car stance in heated election clash
The election campaign in Baden-Württemberg heated up in 2025 as CDU lead candidate Manuel Hagel launched a sharp attack on the Greens. His criticism targeted Cem Özdemir, the party’s co-chair, following a statement made at the Green party’s federal congress in Hanover. The clash unfolded during the South West CDU party congress in Heidelberg.
Özdemir had declared at the Greens’ event, ‘We get cars. This party gets cars.’ His words aimed to reposition the Greens as supporters of the automotive sector. Yet Hagel dismissed the claim as insincere.
He fired back, saying, ‘When some now claim—after years of waging a cultural war against cars—that they’ve suddenly become the ‘party of the automobile,’ all I can do is laugh.’ The CDU candidate accused the Greens of hypocrisy, arguing their past policies had undermined the industry.
Hagel also called for an end to what he described as an ‘ideological assault on our key industry.’ His remarks signalled a clear divide between the CDU’s pro-business stance and the Greens’ shifting rhetoric on cars and manufacturing.
The exchange highlighted deep tensions over economic policy ahead of Baden-Württemberg’s election. Hagel’s criticism framed the debate as a struggle between ideological opposition and industry support. The confrontation set the tone for further clashes in the campaign.
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