Wiesn landlords furious at Deputy Mayor Krause
Munich's new second mayor Dominik Krause has described the Oktoberfest as the "world's largest open drug scene", triggering sharp criticism from the Wiesn landlords. "Seven million visitors are being equated with drug users and discredited", said the spokespersons for the association of Munich Oktoberfest hosts, Peter Inselkammer and Christian Schottenhamel, in a statement on Monday.
Previously, in an interview on the Instagram channel "Münchner Gesindel", the Green politician had responded to the question of where he stood on cannabis legalization: "We live in the city with the world's largest open drug scene, namely the Oktoberfest, and that's why I think that if you have that in the city, then you have to be just as clear on the subject of legalization." In his view, both are perfectly okay and both should happen within an appropriate framework. The interview was published on Instagram on Saturday.
"The message here is that large quantities of drugs are consumed at the Wiesn, which is wrong," said Schottenhamel. "There is a world of difference between people smoking hashish and Wiesn visitors partying happily. Beer is not a drug."
Krause was elected as the new second mayor of Munich just under two weeks ago. The new election had become necessary because the previous incumbent, Katrin Habenschaden (Greens), took over as Head of Environment and Sustainability at Deutsche Bahn.
Even before Dominik Krause, Green politicians had described the Oktoberfest as the "biggest open drug scene" - including, for example, Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth.
The Wiesn landlords strongly objected to Deputy Mayor Krause's characterization of Oktoberfest as the "world's largest open drug scene," viewing it as an unfair generalization that disparages their seven million annual visitors. Customs officials have reported increased drug-related incidents at Oktoberfest in recent years, adding a sensitive dimension to the landlords' concerns.
Source: www.dpa.com
