Free voter chief Aiwanger, who has been accused of anti-Semitism, and the president of the Central Council of Jews want to meet for talks. Elsewhere, an apology from Aiwanger was blocked.
Against the background of the leaflet affair and the resulting allegations of anti-Semitism against Hubert Aiwanger, the Bavarian Economics Minister and the President of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, want to meet. At the request of the editorial network Germany, the Schusters office said it was in talks with the Aiwangers office to find an appointment for a meeting.
Schuster himself had commented on the affair on the internet portal “evangelisch.de”. He called the decision of Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder to leave Aiwanger in office as “understandable”. At the same time, the way the Economics Minister and Chair of the Free Voters dealt with the allegations against him was “irritating”. Schuster emphasized that he missed Aiwanger’s “real inner confrontation with the allegations and his behavior at school”.
The President of the Central Council had already expressed similar feelings in an interview with the daily topics voiced. He accused Aiwanger of having apologized – but it remained unclear for what exactly. So far, Schuster has not been able to recognize real remorse and humility.
Dachau refuses Aiwanger’s visit
The former president of the Central Council of Jews and current president of the Jewish Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, even rejected Aiwanger’s apology. But she also accepts Söder’s decision to leave the chairman of his coalition partner in office – as a political step, according to Knobloch.
The Dachau concentration camp memorial also issued a rejection. The federal government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, had suggested that Aiwanger should visit the former concentration camp. However, a spokeswoman for the memorial emphasized that such a “high-profile political visit in the run-up to the Bavarian state elections” was undesirable.
“In doubt for the accused”
Aiwanger, on the other hand, now received support from the Jewish historian Michael Wolffsohn. In an interview with the “Augsburger Allgemeine”, he emphasized: “For me, the European, primitive value applies: ‘In case of doubt, for the accused.'” It is right that Aiwanger has retained his post as Minister of Economics. Because a punishment without a proven crime contradicts fundamental European or Christian-Jewish values, the historian said. No one knows the facts surrounding the leaflet affair – with the exception of the Aiwanger brothers themselves.
Wolffsohn also agreed with Aiwanger that a campaign was being waged against him and the Free Voters. Wolffsohn emphasized:
A fool who thinks it’s not a campaign. Those who supposedly know have known all this since 1988. Only now, in 2023, are they making it public. Now that Aiwanger and his party could count on great electoral success.
In addition, nobody should “measure with double standards,” said von Wolffsohn. Anyone who forgives the “sins of youth” of other politicians such as Joschka Fischer or Jürgen Trittin must also allow Aiwanger to do the same. In 2001, the Green politician Fischer admitted to left-wing views that he had represented in the 1970s. He also committed acts of violence against police officers. Trittin, also a Green, had admitted to a “left-wing extremist phase” and earlier membership in the Communist League at the time.
The affair surrounding an anti-Semitic leaflet written when Aiwanger was at school became known at the end of August. Later, the brother of the economics minister, Helmut, claimed to have written the leaflet. In interviews, however, former classmates accused Aiwanger of having displayed anti-Semitic behavior. For example, the Free Voters boss showed the Hitler salute at school.