Bavaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Aiwanger has apologized after cross-party criticism for an anti-Semitic leaflet. At the same time he raised the accusation that he had become the target of a political campaign.
After allegations of an anti-Semitic leaflet, the Bavarian Free Voters chief and Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger presented himself as the target of a political campaign. “I have the impression that I should be finished off politically and personally,” said Aiwanger at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs in Munich. His statement, on which no questions were allowed, lasted less than two minutes.
It’s about a “disgusting pamphlet” that was found in his school bag 36 years ago, according to Aiwanger. Statements had emerged that gave the impression that he “had taken a misanthropic path as a youth.” He made mistakes at the time and “deeply regrets” when he hurt feelings. He explicitly apologized to “all the victims of the Nazi regime, their relatives and everyone involved in the valuable memorial work.”
“However, it is unacceptable that these misconducts are now being exploited in a political campaign against me and my party,” said Aiwanger. “A negative image has been drawn of me in the past few days. That’s not me, that’s not Hubert Aiwanger.”
SPDDeputy leader: Resignation is the only consequence
In the past few days there had been ongoing criticism of Bavaria’s Deputy Prime Minister. Leading Union politicians also called for full clarification today. “It’s a highly unsavory story,” said CDU leader Friedrich Merz to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “I wouldn’t have thought it possible that 17 or 18-year-old students would still be writing something like this in the 1980s. It really needs to be fully elucidated.”
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt told the broadcaster Welt-TV on the sidelines of a closed meeting of the Union faction that Aiwanger had “remained very, very tight-lipped”. That is certainly not appropriate for the current situation. When asked whether he was not yet demanding Aiwanger’s resignation, Dobrindt said: “It’s now about clarity and then we can talk about more.” It is part of a fair process that clarity is created and, above all, that Aiwanger explains himself.
The deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Dirk Wiese, called for Aiwanger’s immediate resignation. “What sees the light of day bit by bit every day is a state of mind that can only have one consequence – resignation,” he told the “Rheinische Post”. If the head of the Free Voters stays in office longer, “that will also become more and more of a problem for Markus Söder”.
Free voters stand behind their party leader
The state board of the Free Voters in Bavaria, the board of the state parliamentary group and the cabinet members of the Free Voters in the state have meanwhile “closely” behind Aiwanger.
According to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, Aiwanger is said to have written an anti-Semitic hate leaflet at the age of 17. He himself had already rejected this in writing. At the same time, however, he admitted that “one or a few copies” were found in his school bag. The school then initiated disciplinary proceedings against him. Shortly thereafter, Aiwanger’s older brother admitted to having written the pamphlet. A former classmate reported it ARD magazine report Munich, As a younger student, Aiwanger occasionally “showed a Hitler salute” in class. Even anti-Jewish jokes were “definitely made”.
Aiwanger already spoke in the online service X (formerly Twitter) of a “smear campaign” against himself. On Wednesday evening, the Free Voters boss also vehemently defended himself against allegations of anti-Semitism. “I’ve never been an anti-Semite or an extremist,” he said in Munich. “I don’t remember any allegations against me as a teenager, but they might be due to things that can be interpreted in one way or another.”
Special session of the state parliament in a week
Aiwanger should not allow room for interpretation when answering the 25 questions that Prime Minister Markus Söder is asking his deputy prime minister to do. Söder had not set a deadline for Aiwanger.
On Thursday next week, the Bavarian state parliament will deal with the case in a special session. The state parliament announced that Ilse Aigner, president of the state parliament, would convene the so-called interim committee at the request of the Greens, SPD and FDP. This body can deal with urgent matters after the last plenary session before a state election. Only some of the members of the state parliament are members there – currently there are exactly five.
In Bavaria, a new state parliament will be elected in five and a half weeks. The CSU currently governs together with the Free Voters. According to Söder, the coalition wants to continue despite the affair. At the same time, he indicated on Tuesday that this would also be conceivable without Aiwanger.
School has no more documents
Aiwanger’s school at that time – the Burkhart-Gymnasium Mallersdorf-Pfaffendorf – will probably no longer be able to contribute to finding the truth. According to the Ministry of Education, “there are no documents on the treatment of the Aiwanger case in the 1987/88 school year.” BR-Request with. “In accordance with the applicable legal situation”, school career forms of pupils who have left the respective school would only have to be kept for one year.