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An antisemitic pamphlet circulated at a high school in southern Germany 35 years ago is at the center of a political storm affecting election campaigning in Bavaria — and beyond.
Hubert Aiwanger, deputy premier and economy minister of the large and influential southern German state of Bavaria, admitted over the weekend that he was involved in distributing an antisemitic leaflet during his high school years in the late 1980s. Aiwanger now faces growing pressure to answer questions, along with calls for his resignation.
Aiwanger is leader of the right-wing Free Voters party, which is active across Germany but particularly successful in Bavaria, where it’s gained increasing popularity over recent weeks — an effort largely attributed to Aiwanger.
With elections slated for the state on October 8, any prolonged controversy around the politician could affect not only his party’s popularity, but also Bavaria’s Premier Markus Söder of the center-right Christian Social Union (CSU). Söder’s CSU rules in a coalition with Aiwanger’s Free Voters — and many believe Söder aims to become chancellor in Berlin.
German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung first reported last Friday about the pamphlet, which described a fictional competition entitled “Who is the biggest traitor to the Fatherland?” with the first prize as “A free flight through the chimney of Auschwitz” — a macabre reference to the Nazi concentration camp where at least 1 million Jews were murdered during World War II.
Despite Aiwanger categorically denying authorship of text, which he said he considers “disgusting and inhumane,” political uproar over the antisemitic leaflet continues to snowball.
“If the accusations against Hubert Aiwanger are true, Markus Söder must immediately draw consequences and dismiss his deputy,” said Saskia Esken, co-leader of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is in the opposition in Bavaria.
Scholz said Monday via a spokesperson that the incident “must be cleared up comprehensively and immediately,” adding that “political consequences” may be necessary.
‘A few copies’
Aiwanger admitted over the weekend that “one or a few copies” of the leaflet were found in his school bag at the time, resulting in disciplinary measures against him. This opens questions including why he was carrying the pamphlet, how closely he was involved in its distribution and why he did not deny authorship when caught.
“Even if Aiwanger may not have written the flier himself but carried it with him and distributed it, the disgusting and inhumane formulations allow conclusions to be made about the mindset behind his actions,” said the SPD’s Esken.
Adding to lingering doubts, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that former teachers had identified Aiwanger, who was 17 at the time, as author of the pamphlet and reportedly described him as a “Nazi admirer.” The newspaper also cited an expert report saying that the leaflet was likely written on the same typewriter as one of his school essays.
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Aiwanger’s brother Helmut, who is 11 months older, claimed in a statement over the weekend that he had written the text when he was “absolutely furious at the time because I had failed my school year.” Helmut tried to distance himself from the “outrageous content” which he regrets “very much” — but stressed that he, like Hubert, had still been a minor at the time.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany said in a statement that the leaflet “may not simply be dismissed as a youthful sin, as it downright tramples on the debate about National Socialism, which is so important for our country.”
Söder’s office called a special meeting of his coalition committee on Tuesday, where Aiwanger is being asked to answer questions.
Road to Berlin
Although unclear how much the incident will affect the performance of Aiwanger’s Free Voters at the ballot box next month, there is certainly a risk of a negative effect on Söder and his party.
Söder’s CSU is currently polling at 39 percent — way below approval ratings of at least 45 percent that his party used to enjoy in Bavaria. Aiwanger’s Free Voters received 11.6 percent of votes during the last election in 2018 — but as of late last week, was polling at 12 to 14 percent.
Any further decrease for the CSU in Bavaria’s October vote would erode Söder’s position in a possible attempt to again become the chancellor candidate for Germany’s center-right CDU/CSU bloc, in the 2025 general election.
Unless he gets convincing answers from Aiwanger, Söder may drop his deputy following Tuesday’s special coalition meeting.
On Monday, the Bavarian premier tried to portray normality, posting pictures from a public festival in Bavaria.
“On the road in the country: Great atmosphere,” Söder wrote.
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