Mainz Professor criticizes ZDF boss due to AfD comparison
Mainz Professor criticizes ZDF boss due to AfD comparison
Mainz-Shock and outrage after the state election in Thuringia: The comment by ZDF editor-in-chief Bettina Schausten has beaten high waves and led to heated discussions. On the day of the AfD election on September 1, 2024, showed parallels between this event and the beginning of the Second World War, which the German Wehrmacht triggered on September 1, 1939 with the attack on Poland. Many see this an inadmissible trivialization of the Nazi era.
The Oldenburg legal scientist and professor of media and telecommunications law Volker Boehme-Nessler was horrified by Schausten's comment. On the X platform X (formerly Twitter) he wrote: "What an incredible trivialization of the National Socialists! Such people have no place on public service broadcasting." This is one of the sharpest reactions to the comparison that seems completely unsuitable and unsustainable for many people.
controversial statements and public outrage
In her opinion contribution, Schauten said: "On September 1, 1939, the Second World War began with the attack by the Wehrmacht to Poland. Germany covered the whole world with suffering and death, murdered six million Jews." She then established a connection to the AfD election victory in Thuringia on September 1, 2024, led by Björn Höcke, which is classified by the protection of the constitution as right -wing extremist and whose rhetoric is described as fascist.
The comment not only led to a wave of outrage on social media, but also to a legal reaction. The lawyer Markus Haintz announced that he had filed a criminal complaint against showers about the suspicion of sedition. Other users joined this advertisement and also announced legal steps.
demand for consequences
Volker Boehme-Neßler not only called for the public apology, but also the immediate dismissal of the ZDF editor-in-chief. "Such people have no place on public service broadcasting," he explained, called on the ZDF remote council to take consequences and to initiate any notice without notice.
While some users accuse "of not arriving in democracy", other parallels moved to the propaganda that was spread in the GDR. It was a “black channel” moment, according to the critic on X, who emphasizes that such historical comparisons are extremely dangerous and could put the Holocaust into perspective.
The subsequent debates also includes the question of whether such a comparison actually fulfills the legal crime of Holocaust relativization. This will probably be discussed in the coming weeks.
The choice in Thuringia and in particular the reactions on it highlighted the heated political atmosphere in Germany. The AfD is particularly on the rise in the eastern federal states, which triggers concern for many citizens. Bettina Schausten's comment could continue to fuel this debate and tighten the argument about dealing with right -wing extremist parties.
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