Germany’s top politicians are demanding consequences as the country’s media revealed a new allegation, from a former classmate, of antisemitic behavior by Bavarian deputy premier Hubert Aiwanger during his school days in the 1980s.
German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung first reported last Friday on Aiwanger’s involvement in distributing an antisemitic leaflet in high school in the 1980s. Since then, former classmate Mario Bauer claimed the deputy premier made Hitler salutes, made antisemitic jokes and impersonated Hitler while in school.
In an interview with German TV public broadcaster ARD, Bauer said of Aiwanger: “He would come in from time to time, when the class was already inside and would make a Hitler salute. He would also always give these Hitler speeches in Hitler slang. He always wanted to attract attention with that. He was making antisemitic jokes about Auschwitz and so on.”
During a joint press conference held on the sides of a closed-off government meeting between the coalition partners Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner strongly condemned the scandal.
“Everything that has become known so far is very disturbing. And that is why it is very clear to me that everything must be clarified,” Scholz said during the press conference.
Last week, Aiwanger denied writing the antisemitic pamphlet circulating in his high school 35 years ago, and his brother Helmut took responsibility as the author.
Aiwanger has not addressed his classmate’s allegations. On Wednesday, he cryptically said on X, formerly Twitter, that “#Dirty campaigns end up backfiring.”
Lindner said, “There must never be room for antisemitism in Germany.” He added later, “It must not be relativized under any circumstances. The accusations against Mr. Aiwanger are upsetting. And the way he has dealt with them and his willingness to clarify the situation are so far not credible in my eyes.”
Habeck called Aiwanger’s handling of the reports “dishonest.”
Both Habeck and Lindner have suggested Bavarian premier Markus Söder take action. So far, Söder has only held a meeting with Aiwanger, which was closed to the public, and demanded that Aiwanger give written responses to 25 questions about the “serious” allegations, as German media reports.
“In this respect, the question goes to the minister president of Bavaria — whether he wants to continue to work in the future with a colleague who acts in this way. I find it hard to imagine,” Habeck said during the press conference.
