“Bad example” for youth
Anti-Semitism commissioner takes Aiwanger to task
09/01/2023 08:28
The fact that Hubert Aiwanger stylized himself as a victim of a “smear campaign” in the course of his apology does not go down well with the federal government’s anti-Semitism commissioner. Klein denounces that the Free Voters chief is harming the culture of remembrance in Germany.
In the affair of an anti-Semitic flyer from school days, Bavaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger remains under pressure even after a public apology. The President of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, accused Aiwanger of showing no will to openly clarify the matter. The federal government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, criticized that Aiwanger harmed the culture of remembrance in Germany because he did not fully clarify the allegations.
Klein told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “The efforts in schools and memorials to teach younger people in particular how to deal with National Socialist crimes critically and responsibly are being torpedoed by Mr. Aiwanger’s behavior.” And further: “A responsible handling of the legacy of the worst crime ever committed by Germans would be the proactive and comprehensive clarification of one’s own role in the creation and distribution of this anti-Jewish pamphlet.”
The previous approach of the Free Voters boss, “to stylize himself as a victim of a campaign directed against him and to express himself as late as possible, as little as possible and as empathetically as possible, serves as a bad role model for politics for young people in Germany,” said Klein. Apparently, the minister’s main concern is to defend himself against the accusation that he had spread hatred of Jews as a student. “It’s striking that he didn’t explicitly mention the victims of the Shoah and their descendants,” says Klein. As a political consequence of the events surrounding Aiwanger, the anti-Semitism commissioner calls for the work of the NS memorials to be strengthened financially and institutionally.
The President of the Central Council of Jews, Schuster, told the “Bild” newspaper: “Hubert Aiwanger’s apology to the victims and survivors of the Shoah was a good step, albeit a long overdue one.” But Schuster went on to say: “Unfortunately, he combines this with a complaint about a political motivation for the allegations and still lacks the will to open clarification.”
“Shoah misused for party political purposes”
On Saturday, Aiwanger had denied in writing that he had written an anti-Semitic leaflet when he was at school, which the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had reported on in its weekend edition. At the same time, however, he admitted that “one or a few copies” were found in his school bag. Shortly thereafter, Aiwanger’s older brother admitted to having written the pamphlet. Aiwanger apologized publicly for the first time on Thursday. With regard to the allegations, he stuck to the previous description – in particular that he did not write the leaflet and that he could not remember showing the Hitler salute as a schoolboy.
At the same time, the leader of the Free Voters counterattacked, complaining about a political campaign against him and his party. “I deeply regret if I have hurt feelings through my behavior in relation to the pamphlet in question or other allegations against me from my youth,” said Aiwanger. “My sincere apologies go first and foremost to all the victims of the Nazi regime, their surviving dependents and everyone involved and the valuable commemorative work.” There was no talk of a possible resignation. Aiwanger told “Welt”: “In my opinion, the Shoah is being misused here for party political purposes.” He accused the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, which was the first to report allegations against him, of wanting to destroy him politically.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder has presented his deputy with a catalog of 25 questions on the subject for written answers in connection with the allegations. Aiwanger’s spokesman said these would now be answered “promptly”. After Aiwanger canceled several appointments during the day on Thursday, he appeared again in the evening at a rally in Aschau, Upper Bavaria. He no longer commented on the leaflet affair and the other allegations. In his speech he promoted the policy of the Free Voters, mainly criticized the Greens and sometimes received thunderous applause. On Friday, both Aiwanger and Söder want to attend appointments in Bavaria that have been planned for a long time.
A new state parliament will be elected in Bavaria on October 8th. According to all the latest polls, the CSU and Free Voters can continue to govern afterwards. Söder said on Tuesday that he wanted to continue the coalition. However, coalitions were “not dependent on a single person”. The Free Voters in Bavaria rallied behind Aiwanger and complained about a “smear campaign”.