- Local politicians in Saxony targeted
Threats, Insults, and Anonymous Accusations: Saxon Mayors and Other Local Politicians Feel Increasingly Pressured and Hampered in Their Work
Saxon Minister of Social Affairs Petra Köpping (SPD) strongly urged this development to be stopped in a conversation with affected parties in Dresden. What is happening here is undermining democracy. Some citizens, but also local councils, are trying to slow down the work of local politicians with a multitude of service complaints, reports, or petitions. "People want the administrations to stop working. This is a development that is more than dangerous," said Köpping.
Administrative lawyer Helmut Schwarz sees this as a problem throughout Germany. Service complaints and petitions are legal means, but they should not be misused. The actual problem is the coarsening of society, he emphasized.
Call for Social Cohesion
Köpping, who is also responsible for social cohesion through her ministry, called on civil society to act. "If we accept this, it will only get worse." We need a sense of belonging. Mayors are often on their own. If they no longer receive support, they will withdraw. "That is the worst thing that can happen." The affected feel abandoned. Köpping reports of a Saxon district council where the members no longer dared to enter through the main entrance for the council meeting. "That cannot be our future." The issue must be addressed in all ministries. Legal changes are also needed.
Köpping had met with four heads of municipalities who were personally affected by hostility. The former mayor of Arnsdorf, Martina Angermann (SPD), had requested early retirement in 2019 after months of harassment. The politician had become a target after four men tied a mentally ill refugee from Iraq to a tree with cable ties and claimed it was self-defense. Angermann condemned the act and became a target herself. "We stepped in to achieve something in the communities," said Angermann. But she was attacked successively and insidiously.
At first, Angermann didn't notice that there was a strategy behind it. Then she spent most of her time dealing with these issues and couldn't fully dedicate herself to public affairs. "That creates inner dissatisfaction and inner unrest." A single service complaint led to the administration having to sift through files for two months. Later, she feared for her life and suffered from burnout. She also struggled with anxiety and depression.
Further Reports of Threats
The mayor of Pulsnitz, Barbara Luke, and the mayor of Weißwasser, Torsten Pötzsch (both independent), also reported hostility and threats. Luke had written a letter to Saxon Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) with the title: "Support for Mayors in Threatening Situations and the Situation of Democracy Endangerment."
Mayors are the lowest political level and are the first to notice when democracy is at risk, said Lüke, noting an "antidemocratic sentiment" in parts of the population. She faced, among other things, a disciplinary complaint for allegedly violating the neutrality obligation. "That hinders one, many then give up - city councilors as well as mayors." Nowadays, there is often only one candidate in mayoral elections.
Defamation and Retreat from Politics
Thomas Zschornak was the mayor of Nebelschütz, a model community in the Bautzen district, for 32 years. In 2022, he was anonymously defamed and accused on a website. He described how the behavior in the town council changed over the years. Initially, decisions were made unanimously, but now there is a lot of noise. Zschornak was subjected to 30 disciplinary complaints.
False information about his family relationships was spread about Torsten Poetzsch in Weißwasser. Death threats were placed in his mailbox, and the lug nuts on his car were loosened. The development has affected his health, said Poetzsch. He will not run for the position of Oberbürgermeister in September.
The issue of hostile consequences against local politicians isn't confined to Saxony alone. In Weißwasser, Mayor Torsten Pötzsch has faced threats and defamation, including false information about his family and death threats.
Amidst white water rapids of threats and challenges, the work of local administrations becomes increasingly challenging, as exemplified by the experiences of Mayors Angermann, Luke, and Pötzsch.
