Boris Palmer resigns from the Greens

tubingen Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer has resigned from the Greens. The state party announced this on Monday in Stuttgart. Palmer confirmed the exit to the German Press Agency, previously the mirror had reported about it.

With controversial statements in Frankfurt am Main, the mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, has drawn heavy criticism. There is a lack of understanding not only among those involved there, but also in Baden-Württemberg. Lawyer Rezzo Schlauch turned his back on Palmer, the Tübingen Greens municipal association distanced itself and the group “Vert Realos” – an association of so-called Realpolitiker in the Greens – wants to continue working without Palmer in the future.

Palmer caused a stir on Friday with a verbal argument with a group in front of a migration conference in Frankfurt am Main. In front of a building at the Goethe University, he had taken a stand on the way in which he used the “N-word”.

When faced with shouts of “Nazis out,” Palmer told the crowd, “It’s nothing but the Star of David. That’s because I used a word that you attach everything else to. If you say a wrong word, you are a Nazi. Think about it.” Today, the so-called N-word is used to paraphrase a racist term for black people that used to be used in Germany.

Palmer’s attorney hose announced: “Immediately after learning about the scandal for which Boris Palmer is responsible in Frankfurt, I gave him my personal and my political loyalty and support as well as my legal representation.”

Tübingen Greens criticize Palmer

Hose, who used to be politically active for the Greens himself, explained further: “No provocation, no matter how harsh, no insults and insults, no matter how vile, of radical left-wing provocateurs justified establishing a historical parallel to the Jewish star as a symbol of the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany. There is nothing left to explain, defend or apologize for.” Tubing had legally represented Palmer in party order proceedings against him and also supported him in the election campaign in Tübingen.

The Green City Association of Tübingen condemned “the repeated use of the N-word and the unacceptable comparison with the Jewish star” by Palmer. “We regret that many people were again injured by statements made by Boris Palmer.”

The “Vert Realos” explained in a statement that Palmer had broken a taboo with “an unspeakable comparison”. “His undoubtedly successful local politics cannot make up for the fact that he has damaged our efforts against the exaggerations of identity politics and for a controlling and holistic migration policy in the sense of a modern immigration country and has shifted the debate about it.”

Palmer confirms statements

As Palmer confirmed to the dpa, the statements made in Frankfurt were so popular. “I used the protesters’ method of stamping, shouting down and ostracizing me as a Nazi and racist as a comparison,” Palmer explained the context from his point of view. He explained to the protesters that Nazis had smeared the graves of his ancestors with swastikas and replied that “their method of ostracism and exclusion is no different from the Jewish star”.

Palmer also acknowledged Nazi persecution of his Jewish ancestors. His family was just able to evade the Star of David by fleeing. “My father Helmut was called Moses at school and was sentenced to prison several times after the war for calling Nazis Nazis,” Palmer wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

He also explained that he says the “N-word” because he doesn’t accept language rules. However, “the highly controversial word” is not part of his active vocabulary. “I only use it when there’s a discussion about whether using it is already a racist. For me, the context decides that.”

Not Palmer’s first racist statement

Both Hesse’s Justice Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) and the President of Goethe University, Enrico Schleiff, had previously condemned Palmer’s statements. At the conference “Managing Migration, Shaping Plurality. Challenges of immigration policy in Germany”.

Back in May 2021, Palmer used the so-called N-word in a Facebook post about former soccer player Dennis Aogo, who has a Nigerian father. This had triggered massive criticism from his Green party colleagues at the time.

A party expulsion process ended a year ago with the compromise that Palmer would suspend his party membership until the end of 2023. In October 2022 he ran in Tübingen as an independent candidate and was re-elected for a third term in the first ballot with an absolute majority.

Palmer often caused controversy

The green state party initially did not comment on the recent incident. The federal manager of the Greens, Emily Büning, said on Twitter with reference to Palmer’s dormant membership that this step was “not without reason”. “Boris Palmer’s recent low point can’t stand still.”

Palmer has been mayor of the Swabian university town since 2007. With pointed statements, for example on refugee policy, he repeatedly caused controversy and was exposed to accusations of racism.

However, his management during the corona pandemic also brought nationwide attention and recognition. Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) had pressed shortly after Palmer’s re-election for Palmer’s re-election to the Greens more quickly.

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