Aiwanger rejects allegations: the leaflet was written by someone else
Update Saturday, 5:19 p.m.: Bavaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger has rejected allegations that he wrote an anti-Semitic leaflet as a student. “I did not write the paper in question and I consider the content to be disgusting and inhuman,” the Free Voters chief said in a written statement on Saturday through a spokesman. “The author of the paper is known to me, he will explain himself.”
“Inhuman”: Söder reacts to alleged Aiwanger leaflet
Original message: Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has asked his deputy Hubert Aiwanger to immediately clarify allegations against him for an anti-Semitic leaflet from school days. “These allegations must now simply be clarified. They have to be cleared out completely, ”said Söder on Saturday on the sidelines of an appointment in Augsburg.
The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had reported on the leaflet. Through a spokesman, the Free Voters boss told the “SZ” that he “didn’t produce anything like that” and would take legal action against this “smear campaign” if it were published.
Söder said of the leaflet reported by “SZ”: “There are serious allegations in the room. This leaflet is inhuman, downright disgusting.”
Aiwanger did not respond to a request from the German Press Agency by Saturday afternoon. A spokesman for the Free Voters said Aiwanger and the Free Voters are not commenting on “this process” for the time being. Aiwanger was originally supposed to come to the date at a folk festival in Augsburg. But he didn’t show up.
“Will speak to him today”: Free Voter spokesman announces reaction on Saturday
However, when asked by dpa on Saturday, the leader of the free voters’ state parliament, Florian Striebl, said: “We will speak to him today.” The free voters’ spokesman then announced on Saturday that there would be a reaction during the day. He left details open.
CSU boss Söder said to his coalition partner: “That’s why the central demand is now on Hubert Aiwanger to simply clarify things and explain them publicly.”
A new state parliament will be elected in Bavaria on October 8th. The CSU had always stated that it wanted to continue the coalition with the Free Voters.
Other parties are also demanding clarification – and potential consequences
Demands for consequences came immediately from almost all directions in politics. The SPD parliamentary group requested a special session of the Bavarian state parliament, which is on summer break. SPD faction leader Florian von Brunn said, according to a statement: “The leaflet is right-wing extremism of the lowest drawer, which denigrates the millions of victims of the Holocaust and the Nazi dictatorship in the worst possible way.”
According to a statement, the Greens parliamentary group leaders Katharina Schulze and Ludwig Hartmann said: “If the allegations are true, then Markus Söder must dismiss Hubert Aiwanger.” “
Source: https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/menschenverachtend-geradezu-eklig-soeder-reagiert-auf-mutmassliches-aiwanger-flugblatt-der-sagt-termin-ab_id_202881598.html