After a number of scandals, Tübingen’s Mayor Boris Palmer wants to work on himself from this Thursday and is taking a break. That should happen in June.
From this Thursday (June 1st), the door to the mayor’s office in Tübingen town hall will remain closed for a few weeks. Incumbent Boris Palmer, 51, is taking a break for the whole of June – to work through the scandal over his statements on the sidelines of a migration conference in Frankfurt am Main at the end of April.
The star answers the most important questions about Palmer’s time off:
What was the trigger for the break?
At the end of April, the Tübingen town hall chief had a verbal argument with a protest group about his use of the N-word. The protesters confronted him with shouts of “Nazis out”. He then said, “It’s nothing but the Star of David. That’s because I used a word that you attach everything else to. If you say the wrong word, you’re a Nazi.” The N-word is used today to paraphrase a racist term for black people that was used in Germany in the past.
Companions had also sharply criticized Palmer for the choice of words in Frankfurt am Main. After the escalation, he resigned from the Greens on May 1st. Before that, his membership in the party had been suspended because of another scandal.
How should the break go?
Palmer is keeping a low profile and does not want to answer questions about details. “The purpose of the break is that I no longer have to publicly explain my actions,” Palmer told the DPA news agency before the break began. Palmer also did not want to say whether he would stay in Tubingen during the month. Just this much: It is certain that the break will last until the end of June.
What exactly is Boris Palmer up to?
“I see the month as a task,” he said – referring to a personal statement he published in early May. In it, Palmer writes that during the hiatus he will “try to work through my part in these increasingly destructive entanglements.” Since he will continue to be exposed to attacks like those in Frankfurt am Main, there is nothing left but to try to change himself. “As long as I am not sure that I have mastered new mechanisms of self-control that will protect me from repetition, I will avoid all confrontations with an apparent potential for escalation through abstinence.”
Does Palmer need a special arrangement for the break?
According to city officials, Palmer is taking paid leave during his time off. When asked, he himself emphasized: “There are no special regulations. Everything goes through the normal rights of an employee.”
Who will stand in for the mayor during his sabbatical?
According to the city administration, Mayor Cord Soehlke and Social Mayor Daniela Harsch will jointly represent Mayor Palmer during his time off. The city announced that there would be “no impairment of administrative activities”.
How do people see the time off?
According to a Yougov poll, only nine percent of Germans think Palmer’s month-long break is the right response to the recent scandal. On the other hand, almost a third of those questioned would have considered Palmer’s final withdrawal from politics to be the right decision, according to a representative survey by the opinion research institute commissioned by the DPA. Almost a fifth of those surveyed would find it right to continue in office without interruption.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
