For weeks, the editors of the "Kieler Nachrichten" researched, then they came up to them on the sneak: Two members of the Greens in Schleswig-Holstein have forged letters to the editor of the newspaper. Civic leader and district council member Dennis Mihlan and fraction leader Andreas Müller from Schwentinental (circle Plön) pretended to be "Walter Stängel" and "Bernd Seiler" - and expressed in their letters critical of other parties.
Now Mihlan and Müller have resigned from their posts. However, they want to keep their mandates in the district council and in the city representation Schwentinental. The SPD, CDU, SWG and FDP in the city now demand that the two Greens also give their mandates. The local district association of the Greens had criticized the action of its members.
Since May 2018, the two local politicians are said to have submitted five letters to the editor. Three of them were published. They turned in their letters against the non-party mayor Michael Stremlau, against the CDU and SPD and also criticized the public utilities and the public pool.
The last letter arrived on July 22nd. The editors noticed similarities with press releases and applications - and she began reviewing the letters. Through a chat forum and a wrong Facebook profile, the editors came to the two green politicians.
First, Milhan denied the charge. On Monday, however, he should have admitted to having been the author of the letters under the name "Walter Stängel". Mueller also confessed to have spent as Bernd Seiler.
Both apologized to the newspaper. A statement said: "We deeply regret the incidents, they are a mirror for us, for a political style that we have repeatedly criticized and of which we never wanted that he would ours."
