The mayor of the small town of Bad Lobenstein in Thuringia, Thomas Weigelt, is temporarily relieved of his duties. This was announced by the district office of the Saale-Orla district. The independent local politician is said to have attacked a newspaper reporter in mid-August. The reporter fell and injured himself loudly East Thuringian newspaper at the elbow. According to his own statements, the mayor felt provoked by the journalist, but he denied an attack.
Bad Lobenstein’s mayor is now faced with a complaint on suspicion of bodily harm and damage to property. In a statement, Weigelt described the reporter’s reporting as a “provocation” and spoke of a “feud” between the newspaper editor and the mayor. Again and again the journalist let his “personal dislike” flow into the reporting. The mayor only wants to have raised his hands defensively at the market festival. “I didn’t touch Mr. Hagen,” Weigelt is quoted in the letter. “I treat everyone calmly and kindly. It’s unfortunate if they don’t know how to behave in return.”
Thomas Weigelt has repeatedly been accused in the past of not living up to his post. In a December 2021 interview Weigelt criticizes the corona restrictions. In Germany, people are moving in “heavily dictatorial areas,” he says. Weigelt explicitly mentions the reporting of the East Thuringian newspaper, which he considers “very, very questionable”. In complete contrast to the Corona protests in his city: “There are no right-wing populist statements here,” claims the mayor. Then he calls for the dismissal of Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). Weigelt’s Facebook activities are currently occupying the local authority. All incidents are collected and further steps are checked, according to the authority. In July a voting procedure against the mayor failed at the necessary quorum.