Shortly before the start of the annual Pentecost Congress of the Coburg Convent (CC), the congress representative Hans-Georg Schollmeyer resigned. The background is the publication of a CC mail traffic by “Antifa Freiburg”, said CC spokesman Martin Vaupel on request. It’s about preventing damage. For the upcoming conference of all member associations of the CC, the umbrella organization of German-speaking “student associations”, Schollmeyer will remain in office as acting chairman. In addition, a criminal complaint was filed because of the mail publication. Apparently, according to the CC view, “data was illegally harvested” over a long period of time.
In the SZ interview, Vaupel distanced himself decisively from the content of the emails published on the Internet, which the CC spokesman considers to be authentic. For example, the impression is created that the CC has considered putting up posters in schools to warn against activists allegedly disguised as journalists. This is not in line with the position of the Convention. The fact that its board of directors asked Schollmeyer to resign speaks for itself. Otherwise one would have feared damage to the image.
A spokesman for Coburg reacted calmly to the publication, in which confidential emails between city hall employees and the convention were also cast in a critical light. For example, before the appearance of Mayor Dominik Sauerteig (SPD) at a city reception, draft speeches are said to have been exchanged between Mayor and a CC representative. The city spokesman justified this as “professional and customary”. Contrary to the impression suggested, Sauerteig’s critical attitude towards the traditional CC torchlight procession is known. According to witnesses, Schollmeyer, who has been organizing the association’s conference for 50 years, last year referred to the mayor as a “trainee” – possibly meaning it humorously. Schollmeyer initially did not comment on Friday when asked.