According to the newspaper, the mayor of a small town in Thuringia is said to have attacked a reporter at a market festival. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also commented on the case.
The “Ostthüringer Zeitung” accuses the mayor of Bad Lobenstein in Thuringia of attacking one of their reporters at a market festival. Mayor Thomas Weigelt rejected the allegations on Monday. Although he felt provoked by the journalist, he did not touch or attack him, the non-party politician explained.
According to the newspaper, the mayor suddenly fell on the journalist during the market festival in the spa town on Saturday, injuring him and damaging his equipment. A video on Twitter shows how Weigelt approaches the reporter’s camera with his hand outstretched and grabs it – then the image blurs, the lens points towards the ground. According to the “Ostthüringer Zeitung”, the reporter fell and injured his elbow.
The newspaper reported that the incident followed the reporter’s research into a reception held by the mayor on the same day. A man belonging to the “Reichsbürger” scene is said to have been invited to the reception.
Faeser demands full clarification of the case
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) called for the incident to be fully clarified. “Fear, intimidation and violence should never be used as a means of conflict,” Faeser told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Tuesday). Journalists must be able to do their work freely and unhindered at all times.
Julia Becker, the chairwoman of the supervisory board of the Funke media group, to which the newspaper belongs, spoke of a “shameful attack”. A resignation of the mayor is inevitable. “We will use all legal means to punish this attack,” said Becker on Sunday.
Weigelt, in turn, accused the journalist on Monday of a personal dislike for him, which he has been including in the reporting for some time. The incidents over the weekend joined “the long chain of unprofessional behavior” by the reporter, who was waging a “feud” against him.
The newspaper’s deputy editor-in-chief, Tino Zippel, rejected these allegations. Critical inquiries are at the core of local journalism, he said.
The police took up a criminal complaint by the journalist against the mayor on suspicion of bodily harm. The district office pointed out that disciplinary proceedings were already underway against Weigelt, in which the incident on Saturday would be included. The district office did not provide any further details.
Video from the marketplace Video from the reception Newspaper report on the incident
Source: Stern
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