CDU calls for the resignation of TU's current leader.

Conflict in Gaza - CDU calls for the resignation of TU's current leader.

The head of the Berlin CDU, Ottilie Klein, urged TU President Geraldine Rauch to step down after raising doubts over her posts about the Gaza conflict. In a newsletter to the state association on Friday, Klein emphasized, "We demand that President Rauch leaves her position, and we will use all available means to make Jewish students and faculty feel safe again in Berlin's universities."

She stressed, "There's no room for anti-Semitism in Berlin - on the city's streets or at Berlin's universities." This statement came after Klein had previously requested Rauch's resignation.

Klein argued, "When a university president supports a swastika symbol as a form of protest and propagates anti-Semitic narratives on social media, it's far more than mere insensitivity. University presidents hold influential positions. They must represent and take care of every student and employee. [So,] how can Jewish students feel safe at TU Berlin considering its president has endorsed anti-Semitism? How can she effectively protect Jewish staff? What does this message convey from Germany - the country that saw the Holocaust's origin - to the international academic community?"

Despite apologizing for her actions, Rauch continues to face criticism. On Wednesday, she admitted, "I liked tweets on platform X that dealt with the situation in Gaza and Rafah, but they had anti-Semitic qualities or backgrounds." Furthermore, she disclosed that she had failed to examine the image accompanying one of the tweets closely. The tweet in question featured demonstrators holding a sign with a swastika emblem and a photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The author of the tweet claimed the protesters were Turkish and sought a ceasefire in Gaza.

Read also:

1. Geraldine Rauch, the TU Berlin president, has faced criticism for liking tweets with anti-Semitic undertones during the Gaza conflict.
2. The CDU in Berlin, led by Ottilie Klein, calls for Geraldine Rauch's resignation due to her support of such posts, arguing that her position requires representing all students and employees without promoting extremism.
3. The conflict in Gaza and Geraldine Rauch's actions have received attention beyond Berlin, with Israeli officials expressing concern over the situation in German universities.
4. Following her apology, Geraldine Rauch admitted to liking controversial tweets about the Gaza war, including one with a swastika symbol, and acknowledged her failure to examine the image closely.
5. In response to the uproar, several Palestinian student groups in Germany have defended Geraldine Rauch, arguing that her criticism is part of a broader trend of anti-Palestinian sentiment in German politics.
6. The situation has sparked a broader discussion in Germany about the role of universities in addressing extremism and promoting inclusivity, with calls for stronger measures to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of hate speech.

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