Known from lateral thinker demos
Pastor runs for AfD – and loses his job
March 25, 2024, 4:12 p.m
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During the Corona period, Pastor Martin Michaelis repeatedly appears at lateral thinker demos, and now the non-party wants to join the Quedlinburg city council for the AfD. That costs him his job. The fact that pastors get involved in politics is generally to be welcomed – but not in this case, explains the church.
The Egeln Protestant church district has withdrawn a pastor’s commission because he ran as a non-party for the AfD in the city council election in Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt. The Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM) announced in Magdeburg that Pastor Martin Michaelis, who was previously responsible for the Gatersleben parish in the Salzland district, informed the regional church of his candidacy on March 9th. Six days later, he was relieved of responsibility for the parish, it was said.
Although it is in the interest of the church for pastors to be politically involved, this does not apply to involvement in parties that represent constitutionally questionable positions, the EKM said in its justification. “By running for the AfD, Mr. Michaelis supports the AfD’s ideas,” said the EKM’s head of human resources, Michael Lehmann. This contradicts “the most recent announcements by the Regional Church Council of the EKM and the Bishops’ Conference of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany,” explained Lehmann.
Michaelis defended his candidacy for the AfD. “The Parish Service Act expressly stipulates that we are allowed to run for local elections and other elections,” said Michaelis, according to “Zeit”. So far there is no evidence that this is not possible for reasons of disloyalty, so he is demanding “a proper discussion.”
During the corona pandemic, Michaelis publicly criticized government lockdown measures. He also opposed a resolution by the state synod in which the corona vaccinations were described as “active Christian charity,” according to several media reports. After his appearance at a demonstration against the government’s Corona measures in December 2021, Michaelis was transferred from Quedlinburg to Gatersleben. According to reports, Michaelis was also active in other demonstrations by the lateral thinker milieu.