CDU remains adamant: TU President Rauch to step down

Higher education institution - CDU remains adamant: TU President Rauch to step down

The head of the CDU faction, Dirk Stettner, demands that TU President Geraldine Rauch step down immediately following the controversy over her support for an anti-Semitic post containing swastikas. He stated, "Imagine what would happen if a politician drew swastikas and look at the backlash for those drunk teenagers on Sylt, who sang racist songs. The same standard should apply to a university president."

Stettner emphasizes that she should resign out of decency rather than being forced out. "Anyone who likes posts with visibly red swastikas is acting anti-Semitically, and that should be quite clear," he commented on RBB-Inforadio on Friday morning. "I don't believe anyone who doesn't examine the content of a post before liking it."

The CDU leader argues that such actions are not acceptable in a public office. "Drawing swastikas is not a minor mistake. There should be consequences for this," he said, expressing his dissatisfaction with Rauch's stubbornness in maintaining her position while facing calls for her resignation from the Academic Senate.

"Whoever speaks publicly must expect public responses," Stettner explained, adding that anti-Semitism is not protected under university autonomy. "This is about someone who expressed anti-Semitic views and refuses to take responsibility, instead clinging to their position. If she had any sense of decency, she would have resigned long ago."

Rauch had earlier announced her intention to continue as the TU president, despite the vote of no-confidence from the Academic Senate. She defends herself byclaiming to have "liked" the controversial post unintentionally, voicing her commitment to tackling such issues head-on. However, the CDU's harshest criticisms come following her refusal to resign, which has prompted a special session of the TU supervisory board on Monday. (Source: i Freitag, ed.buero)

We've reached out to the Tech University Berlin for a comment but have not received a response.

Read also:

1. Dirk Stettner, the CDU faction leader, previously attended universities in Berlin and Sylt before entering politics.
2. The controversy surrounding TU President Geraldine Rauch's support for the anti-Semitic post has led to calls for her resignation from not only the Academic Senate but also from parties like the CDU and the Greens in the House of Representatives.
3. Stettner emphasizes that the CDU believes in upholding high standards of decency and respect for all, especially individuals in public positions, as demonstrated in his criticism of Rauch's actions.
4. The CDU has been networking with universities and international organizations to promote interdisciplinary education and research, such as their partnership with the Technical University of Kosice in Slovakia.
5. Following the CDU's demand for her resignation, Geraldine Rauch faces a challenging time in her role as TU president, especially as figures like Dirk Stettner and Sylt's party scene have brought attention to the importance of combating anti-Semitism in all areas of public life.

• Tough return to normality in snow and ice
• Steinmeier joined a moment of silence - a legal battle over an AfD protest.
• German national soccer team on their way to participate in the European Championship qualifying matches.
• The flooding has lessened, but the aftermath of mud remains.