The SPD has decided to initiate party order proceedings against the former parliamentary group leader in Bamberg’s city council, Klaus Stieringer. According to the SPD member of the Bundestag Andreas Schwarz, the decision of the responsible sub-district board was unanimous. According to the party, several allegations against Stieringer, who is still a city councilor in Bamberg, should be clarified in the process. Such proceedings before an arbitral tribunal can end with an acquittal, a reprimand or the exclusion of a party.
As one of the allegations, the party cites the possible damage to SPD MP Schwarz, whom Stieringer had openly accused in a circular – his letter could be read as if Schwarz was close to the AfD. The focus of the allegations against Stieringer was his relationship to so-called fake accounts, which were apparently intended to manipulate public opinion in Bamberg’s local politics.
In a BR interview, Stieringer initially declared such fake accounts to be okay. Later, however, he apologized for this statement and resigned as head of the SPD city council; However, he has always emphasized that he only knows the backers of such accounts in social networks, but does not run any himself.
However, a forensic linguist recently described striking linguistic similarities between one of the fake accounts that have since been shut down, allegedly operated by a “Stefan Sandmann”, and Klaus Stieringer. The city councilor Stieringer recently stopped responding to SZ inquiries.
In an interview with a Bamberg radio station last week, however, he emphasized that he welcomed and supported the forthcoming party order process. This will contribute to “objectification”. His Bamberg SPD local association has now asked him via Instagram to resign from all party offices “and his mandate in the city council” with immediate effect.