Federal President - Coffee table: Federal President discusses with citizens
At a coffee and cake event, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with citizens for a discussion round on the second day of his visit to the upper Palatinate town of Weiden. Themes on Wednesday afternoon included: weapons deliveries to Ukraine, the expansion of wind energy, and - of local relevance - gender-separated school instruction.
Steinmeier stated that in the course of the Corona pandemic, some conversation threads had been torn apart and the tone in social media had become "unbearable" in his assessment. The discussion round under the motto "controversial coffee table" was intended to be an example of expressing opposing views respectfully.
Four citizens were invited to each discussion topic, as Oberburgermeister Jens Meyer (SPD) explained beforehand. They were expected to hold clear positions without causing disturbances.
Regarding weapons deliveries, a German soldier, a Ukrainian teacher and birth Russian, the local representative of Amnesty International, and a representative of the organization International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War participated in the discussion.
A lively debate developed on mono-education, to which Steinmeier said: "That's a topic I didn't even know was still an issue." A student from a girls' high school said she had become more self-confident and had contact with the opposite gender in her free time. A student from a co-educational high school thought girls would benefit if they had to confront boys at a young age and not only in professional life.
Steinmeier conducts his official duties for three days in Weiden in the Oberpfalz - this is part of the "Ortszeit Deutschland" project. Steinmeier wants to learn how national issues concretely affect towns and regions.
- During the discussion round in Weiden, Bavaria, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier addressed the Coronavirus pandemic, expressing his concern over conversations being fragmented and social media's tone becoming unbearable.
- In the controversy-focused debate, participants included a German soldier, a Ukrainian teacher who was born in Russia, a local Amnesty International representative, and a representative from International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, all discussing the topic of weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
- A topic that caught the attention of Federal President Steinmeier during the discussion was gender-separated school instruction in the municipality of Weiden, Ukraine, with students sharing their experiences and opinions on the matter.
