Politician
Boris Palmer causes a stir with the “Judenstern” statement
Tübingen’s Lord Mayor Boris Palmer (archive image). photo
© Marijan Murat/dpa
Boris Palmer rarely avoids a verbal argument. In a dispute about his use of the “N-word”, the mayor of Tübingen causes loud discussions in front of a university.
A verbal argument between Tübingen’s Mayor Boris Palmer and a group in front of a migration conference in Frankfurt am Main caused a stir. On Friday, Palmer spoke in front of a Goethe University building about his use of the “N-word”. He was then confronted with shouts of “Nazis out”.
Palmer then said to the crowd, “It’s nothing but the Star of David. That’s because I used a word that you attach everything else to. If you say the wrong word, you’re a Nazi. Think about it after.” Several media reported on the incident.
At the request of the German Press Agency, Palmer confirmed that the statements were made in this way. “I used the protesters’ method of stamping, shouting down and ostracizing me as a Nazi and racist as a comparison,” Palmer explained the context from his point of view. He explained to the protesters that Nazis had daubed swastikas on the graves of his ancestors and replied that “their method of ostracism and exclusion is no different from the Jewish star”. The 50-year-old didn’t want to say more about it on Saturday.
Palmer defends his use of the N-word
In a Facebook post, Palmer explained that he says the N-word because he doesn’t accept language rules. However, “the highly controversial word” is not part of his active vocabulary. “I only use it when there’s a discussion about whether you’re already a racist if you use it. For me, the context decides that.”
In May 2021, Palmer used the so-called N-word in a Facebook post about former soccer international Dennis Aogo, who has a Nigerian father. This term is used today to describe a racist term for black people that was used in Germany in the past. Palmer’s statement had triggered massive criticism from his Green Party colleagues at the time.
A party expulsion procedure ended a year ago with the compromise that Palmer would not be a member of the Greens until the end of this year. In October 2022 he ran in Tübingen as an independent candidate and was re-elected for a third term in the first ballot with an absolute majority – against the Green Party candidate, among others.
Palmer has been mayor of the Swabian university town since 2007. With pointed statements, for example on refugee policy, he repeatedly caused controversy and was exposed to accusations of racism. However, his management during the corona pandemic also brought nationwide attention and recognition. Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) had pressed shortly after Palmer’s re-election for Palmer’s re-election to the Greens more quickly.
Palmer reaction on Facebook