Secretary of State for Education Döring is to be placed into temporary retirement. The background to this is an investigation into possible consequences for university lecturers who had called for a different approach to pro-Palestinian protests.
Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger wants to have her State Secretary Sabine Döring temporarily retired. She has asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to do this, the FDP politician announced via her ministry.
The background to this is an order to investigate possible consequences for university lecturers who had signed an open letter on how to deal with pro-Palestinian protests at Berlin universities. “Academic freedom is a very valuable asset and is rightly protected under constitutional law,” explained Stark-Watzinger. The impression created is likely to “permanently damage” the trust of scientists in the Federal Ministry of Education.
Cancellation of approved funding considered
Stark-Watzinger had publicly criticized the letter at the time. ARD magazine Panorama had reported, citing internal emails, that the Ministry of Education had been asked to conduct an internal review to determine whether funding could be cut as a result of the letter. This had sparked criticism.
“I have arranged for the matter to be investigated thoroughly and transparently,” explained Stark-Watzinger. “It is clear that an examination of potential consequences under funding law was indeed requested from the relevant specialist departments.” State Secretary Döring, who is responsible for the university department, ordered the investigation.
“She also explained that she had obviously expressed herself in a misleading way when ordering the legal review. Nevertheless, the impression was created that the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) was considering examining the consequences of funding on the basis of an open letter covered by freedom of expression.” This contradicts the principles of academic freedom, said the FDP politician.
Strong criticism of open letter
In a “Statement by teachers at Berlin universities,” more than 100 lecturers from several Berlin universities criticized the clearing of a protest camp of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the Free University of Berlin in May. Stark-Watzinger reacted with horror to the letter of support at the time.
“It still baffles me to this day how one-sidedly the terror of Hamas was ignored in this letter,” she explained. “And how it made a blanket demand that crimes at universities should not be prosecuted, while at the same time anti-Semitic incitement and violent attacks against Jewish citizens are being observed.”