Germany's capital city, Berlin, witnesses over 7,000 guests attending its annual LGBTIQ* holiday market. - University president under fire: Chancellor views TU in turmoil
As stated by the Chancellor of Berlin's Technical University, the actions of University President Geraldine Rauch are causing a significant crisis for the institution. "It's a heavy weight for everyone, including the president, me, and others around her. Nobody wants this type of attention and this scandal," said Lars Oeverdieck to German Press Agency. "This is one of the biggest crises in the history of TU." Rauch recently turned out to have liked a post containing anti-Semitic content on the platform X, and only apologized after facing severe backlash.
The anti-Semitism allegation has led to a major problem for the university. "However, it's about the reputation of TU, which is colossal. In the end, it's about the future of TU," Oeverdieck commented. "The impact of this matter is already apparent: There have been withdrawals from the alumni program."
Chancellor of TU: "We never imagined this would happen."
"The actions of Geraldine Rauch on social media took us all by surprise. There were no signs of this beforehand, it came out of the blue," noted the Chancellor. "We never imagined something like this would happen."
The responsible committees will discuss the implications next week. The president was elected by the so-called Extended Academic Senate. "The decision-making body could decide to withdraw or, alternatively, continue to support the president," Oeverdieck outlined.
"It would be beneficial if the decision was made quickly and decisively. The decision-making process is ongoing - but I don't hear calls for resignation only from politics, but also from the responsible body."
The TU Chancellor also predicts additional consequences: "We haven't made any plans for the future yet - so, for example, imposing educational programs on anti-Semitism for new management might be necessary." "We're still amidst the crisis."
Rauch's Apology
Rauch said in her apology on Wednesday that she liked the post because of its text and had not paid enough attention to the picture below it at the time. The controversy revolved around a contribution with pictures of protesters displaying a photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a swastika painted on it. The post's author claimed that the pictures depicted Turkish protesters demanding a truce in Gaza and condemning the Rafah operation.
"The written statement with the call for a truce was the focus for me," said Rauch. "I'd like to make it absolutely clear that I would not have liked the tweet if I had actively perceived the anti-Semitic images or if I had been associated with the author's account."
Central Council of Jews president, Josef Schuster, described Rauch's apology as untrustworthy. Berlin's Culture Senator Joe Chialo (CDU) urged for consequences, without mentioning specifics.
