Germany’s Merkel at farewell ceremony: Don’t tolerate hate

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Germans to stand up to hatred, at a military ceremony bidding her farewell after 16 years in office. Merkel was honored with a traditional military musical performance and march in front of almost all the country’s political elite. The far-right Alternative for Germany wasn’t invited. In a speech ahead of the ceremony Thursday she said that “wherever hatred and violence are seen as a legitimate means of pursuing one’s interests, our tolerance as democrats has to find its limit.” The event, held at the Defense Ministry rather than in a more public setting due to pandemic constraints, involved a parade and a brass band playing songs Merkel chose, including a punk piece.