BILD strikes again: When a failing tabloid tries to scuttle a woman’s candidacy

There are three certainties in life: the sun will rise, beer will be served cold, and the German tabloid BILD will publish a hit piece against anyone challenging the establishment. This time, it’s Melanie Schweizer, MERA25’s candidate for the 2025 German federal election, who’s dared to speak out for justice. And naturally, BILD couldn’t pass up the chance to launch another attack.

Because nothing terrifies a crumbling, scandal-ridden tabloid more than a principled woman with facts on her side.

BILD’s playbook: Sensationalism first, journalism never

Let’s talk about BILD. This is the same paper that pushed out its former editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt after a sordid scandal of power abuses, affairs, and cover-ups. And yet they think they’re in any position to lecture anyone about “moral standards”?

Now they’ve turned their sights on Melanie Schweizer – a successful lawyer, a candidate for our German political party MERA25, and a vocal advocate for peace and human rights – accusing her of the ultimate sin: expressing opinions that BILD doesn’t like.

In particulate: her views on the apartheid, genocidal state of Israel.

Let’s set the record straight 

Yes, in her personal social media posts, Melanie Schweizer has pointed out uncomfortable truths – truths that have been echoed by organisations like Amnesty International and even debated at the International Court of Justice. Those include Israel’s systematic discrimination against Palestinians, described by Amnesty as apartheid. And the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which many experts have likened to a modern-day open-air prison. But BILD doesn’t do nuance or facts. Instead, they slap Melanie Schweizer with labels like “Israel hater” because nothing fills column inches like a moral panic.

Curiously, BILD seems far less troubled by war crimes, illegal occupations, or the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

BILD: When you can’t take the heat, smear the candidate 

This isn’t about Schweizer. This is about a failing tabloid desperately trying to stay relevant by attacking voices of dissent. A newspaper that has fuelled hate, stoked division, and turned outrage into a business model. Whether it’s their editor scandals, their history of misinformation, or their role in dumbing down political discourse, BILD has proven time and again that it’s not a newspaper – it’s a propaganda machine with a sports section.

Sorry, BILD, we’re not playing 

Schweizer won’t be intimidated, and neither will we. BILD’s smear campaign is a badge of honour – further validation that MERA25’s message of justice, green transformation, and peace is hitting all the right nerves.

So to the readers: don’t let a dying rag tell you who to trust.

Instead, take action: you can help MERA25 get on the ballot for the German federal elections by collecting signatures to secure our spot on the ballot.

Your signature doesn’t commit you to vote for MERA25, but it does enable us to compete in the elections. By signing, you ensure that voters have the opportunity to choose a party that prioritizes transparency, social justice, environmental sustainability, and a Europe that works for the many, not the few.

And to BILD: keep trying. Every time you come for us, we’ll come back sharper, stronger, and – unlike you – armed with facts.

Do you want to be informed of DiEM25's actions? Sign up here

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