Refusal of Resignation by Stark-Watzinger
University demonstrations against the conflict in Gaza and bothersome emails led to the termination of Bettina Stark-Watzinger's state secretary. Now, the Minister herself is under scrutiny, with the term "scapegoat" being bandied about. The FDP politician denies all allegations.
Germany's Federal Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger refused calls for her resignation amidst a funding scandal. "I see no reason for that," said the FDP politician. "I did not issue or desired the order to investigate legal repercussions, but merely to scrutinize potential ramifications," stated the Minister. She remained tight-lipped on further details despite persistent queries.
Criticism from the Union and a resignation demand had previously surfaced from the Union. Academics feel their trust in her eroded. The debacle dates back several weeks and reached its apex on Sunday evening when Stark-Watzinger announced her separation from her state secretary Sabine Doering. It's necessary for a fresh start, she wrote in a statement.
Dispute over Berlin Protest Letter
The kerfuffle is connected to the domestic controversy that erupted in Germany following the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 and the subsequent Gaza War. At universities, there were demonstrations. In May, over 100 professors from various Berlin universities wrote an open letter criticizing the clearance of a protest camp of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the Free University of Berlin. "Regardless of whether we agree with the specific demands of the protest camp, we place ourselves before our students and defend their right to peaceful protest, which also includes occupying university premises," they penned.
Stark-Watzinger criticized the letter and, in her own words, is still "bewildered, how one-sidedly the terror of Hamas was disregarded in this letter. And how, roughly speaking, it was demanded there that incidents on the campuses not be investigated, while at the same time antisemitic incitement to hatred and violent attacks against Jewish fellow students and citizens were observed," she wrote on Sunday evening. The stance of the Minister and those university professors who signed the letter has been a topic of heated debate on social media for weeks.
Emails implicate Minister
The Minister herself came under the microscope after "Panorama," an ARD Magazine, published emails last week revealing that a high-ranking individual within the Ministry had requested an investigation into whether statements in the Berlin professors' letter were criminally relevant, and whether the Ministry could consequently withhold funding. From the email exchange, it appears that ministry employees had reservations about such an investigation. However, critics view such deliberations as an infringement on the academic freedom guaranteed by the Basic Law.
Stark-Watzinger remained silent on the matter for some time and then announced on Sunday evening that, indeed, an investigation order for the matter existed at the relevant committees of her ministry, and that this investigation order had been initiated by State Secretary Doering. Consequently, she now has to resign from her position. According to her own statements, Stark-Watzinger only learned about the relevant email with the investigation order on the previous Tuesday.
"I uphold academic freedom in every direction. Academic funding is based on academic merit, not political affiliation. That is a cornerstone of academic freedom," she declared.
Prien speaks of "sacrificial lamb"
There's debate whether Doering's dismissal is a liberating blow for the Minister and whether she was actually involved in the events surrounding the aforementioned email. Schleswig-Holstein's Education Minister and CDU Vice-President Karin Prien - who has frequently criticized Stark-Watzinger on other issues - wrote on X that Doering was "made into a sacrificial lamb," exposing the sordid face of politics. The educational political spokesperson of the CDU/CSU-faction, Thomas Jarzombek, stated that Stark-Watzinger was right that a new beginning was necessary in the ministry. "She must now take this step herself," he demanded.
The President of the German Universities Association, Lambert Koch, told the "Rheinische Post": "That their state secretary issued an investigation order in a politically so sensitive matter without her knowledge is hard to believe." The trust in Stark-Watzinger within academia has been shaken.
The coalition partners SPD and Greens abstained from open criticism of the FDP Minister. "It's good that Federal Minister Stark-Watzinger now clarifies and takes serious consequences," said the educational political spokesperson of the SPD-Bundestag faction Oliver Kaczmarek. Now, lost trust must be recovered, and steps must be taken to ensure that such events do not recur. Similarly, the chairman of the Education Committee in the Bundestag, Kai Gehring, stated. It is important that the leadership stands firm for academic freedom. "This clear path must now be credibly continued to restore lost trust."
Read also:
- The controversy surrounding Bettina Stark-Watzinger, the Federal Minister of Education, escalated further when emails were leaked, indicating that her state secretary had requested an investigation into potential criminal implications of a letter protesting the Gaza War, written by Berlin university professors.
- The CDU Vice-President of Schleswig-Holstein, Karin Prien, expressed her views on the situation, labeling the dismissal of Stark-Watzinger's state secretary as a "sacrificial lamb" and exposing the darker side of politics.
- The University of Israel has announced plans to organize protests, condemning the Federal Ministry of Education's involvement in the Gaza conflict and its perceived interference in academic freedom.
- The FDP, a political party in Germany, has been defending Stark-Watzinger, maintaining her innocence in the issue and expressing support for her stance on academic freedom and the necessity of funding based on merit, not political affiliation.
