First remorse, then victimhood
Aiwanger’s apology met with criticism
8/31/2023, 7:27 p.m
Hubert Aiwanger believes that behind the allegations of anti-Semitism there is a political campaign against himself. In a statement, the Bavarian government deputy apologizes – but not sincerely, says Green party leader Lang. Criticism has also hailed from other quarters.
The Bavarian Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger has been criticized for his statement on the allegations of an anti-Semitic leaflet. The Green Party leader Ricarda Lang said at a folk festival in Nuremberg that citizens have a right to a state government with decency. This includes “that you apologize honestly, that you put all the information on the table and that consequences are then drawn from it”. She has missed that so far – “with the deputy prime minister, but honestly also with the prime minister,” said Lang, looking at Aiwanger and Prime Minister Markus Söder.
The first parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast, also reacted disappointed to Aiwanger’s “short statement”. She comes very late and isn’t really one. “First Aiwanger expresses remorse, then he presents himself as a victim again. Not much has been clarified so far, the consequences are open.” Now the attitude and leadership of Prime Minister Söder are in demand. Little can be heard from the “otherwise so loud” Söder. That’s a shame for democracy as a whole. “The Aiwanger case is not over,” said Mast.
Aiwanger briefly appeared before the press in Munich and apologized in the affair of an anti-Semitic flyer from school days. He said he deeply regretted having hurt feelings through his behavior in relation to the pamphlet in question or other allegations against him from his youth.
Before Aiwanger’s statement, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had called on the Bavarian government to take action. “Every commitment by the Bavarian state government against anti-Semitism is worth nothing at some point if the deputy prime minister cannot clear up the serious allegations against him. It is a question of attitude and credibility to put an end to this debate, which is becoming more and more unworthy by the day, and to draw the necessary conclusions,” Faeser told the newspapers of the Funke media group. You don’t fight anti-Semitism with Sunday speeches, but by acting with a clear stance. “Here Mr. Söder is responsible,” said Faeser.