Social media's approval ratings - TU President faces renewed criticism and calls for resignation.
Following accusations of antisemitism, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has dismissed Berlin TU President Geraldine Rauch from his advisory group. Scholz decided that the president of the Technical University (TU) would no longer be part of the so-called Future Council, confirmed Vice Government Spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Friday. "In the eyes of the Federal Chancellor, the accusations against her are significant, and they have not yet been cleared up."
Rauch is under scrutiny due to her liking of at least one antisemitic post on the platform X in relation to the Gaza War. On Thursday, she announced her intention to remain in office, despite the majority of the TU's Academic Senate expressing support for her resignation. "I'm not quitting," the 41-year-old stated. She referred to the fact that the vote was not legally binding. The Academic Senate had not submitted a dismissal motion.
"Professor Rauch could have prevented more harm to TU Berlin, but she missed that opportunity," said a spokesperson for the Central Council of Jews. Calls for resignations were made by the International Auschwitz Committee and the Berlin CDU faction leader Dirk Stettner, who considered a resignation by Rauch in RBB-Inforadio essential.
The Central Council of Jews accuses Rauch of stalling
"At a time when anti-Semitic hatred is prevalent at German universities, Professor Rauch has shown with her liking of several antisemitic postings and subsequent behavior that she lacks the necessary understanding and sensitivity to recognize the seriousness of the situation," said the spokesperson for the Central Council. "She should have drawn the appropriate conclusions. Instead, she is procrastinating and attempting to legally absolve herself of wrongdoing, while Jewish students and professors fear attending universities."
The International Auschwitz Committee demands Rauch's resignation
In an open letter to Rauch, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, called for her resignation. "At a time when antisemitic hatred and right-wing extremist agitation are rampant to an unprecedented degree, your attitude is a catastrophe for you personally, for the university, and for our country, causing growing confusion and shock among Holocaust survivors."
Rauch liked a post with photos of protesters displaying a picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a swastika painted on it. She had already apologized for the like a week earlier and claimed that she had approved the post based on its text and had neglected the image below. The author of the tweet states that the demonstrators in the photos are Turkish protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
An exceptional meeting of the TU's supervisory board, known as the Kuratorium, is scheduled for Monday. The council may opt to dismiss her with a two-thirds majority, or it could issue a statement or opinion instead.
The committee is in favor of dismissal, which would involve a further two steps. The case would need to return to the Academic Senate of the TU and receive a two-thirds majority vote, and then the Extended Academic Senate would need to make a decision on Rauch's future.
Rauch vows to work on her errors
"I will work on my mistakes," Rauch asserted on Thursday in a written statement. The day before, she expressed "deep remorse" to the Academic Senate. She admitted to causing hurt to many people and asked for forgiveness once more. She also voiced her commitment to intensifying the fight against antisemitism at the university. At the Berlin Science Administration, she petitioned for a disciplinary proceeding against herself to facilitate an objective examination of the allegations.
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- The SPD, Germany's Social Democratic Party, has been silent on the issue, choosing not to comment on Rauch's situation.
- Dirk Stettner, the CDU faction leader in Berlin, has been vocal in his calls for Rauch's resignation from her position at TU Berlin.
- The Central Council of Jews in Germany has accused Rauch of stalling in addressing the antisemitic posts she liked on social media.
- Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor and a member of the SPD, removed Rauch from his advisory group following allegations of antisemitism.
- Universities across Germany are under scrutiny for incidents of antisemitism, with TU Berlin being one of the institutions at the center of the controversy.
- Geraldine Rauch, the president of TU Berlin, has faced calls for resignation from various groups, including the Central Council of Jews and the International Auschwitz Committee.
- Christiane Hoffmann, the Vice Government Spokeswoman, confirmed Scholz's decision to remove Rauch from the Future Council due to the ongoing allegations of antisemitism.
