He was one of seven local advisory councils, which last Thursday in the Hessian town of Altenstadt, the NPD-man Stefan Jagsch elected mayor: Ali Riza Agdas, 65, sits for 15 years for the SPD in the local council Waldsiedlung.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Agdas, you are a Social Democrat of Turkish descent, so personally threatened in a special way by the incitement of racist parties. How could it happen that you have elected NPD-man Stefan Jagsch as mayor?
Agdas: It was a big mistake and I can not explain it in retrospect. Everything happened very fast. I had assumed that the previous deputy of the mayor of the CDU is for election. But then nobody answered. Until just Jagsch ran for office. Then we chose him, everything took only five minutes.
SPIEGEL: But you knew that Jagsch is a high-ranking NPD member.
Agdas: Yes, but I only saw the person. I have been on the local council for 15 years, I know Jagsch for 13 years. He never made a racist statement on the local council. And I thought he was sitting in the parish council anyway. Nevertheless, I know about his activities and his attitudes. I realized later what I did there. I had a misfire at the moment.
SPIEGEL: How did you continue after the meeting?
Agdas: I went home, and then my wife said, what have you done? I understood then: I chose the NPD. That's why I offered my resignation. But my party said everyone can make a mistake and ask me to stay.
SPIEGEL: What was there for reactions? Who has contacted you?
DPA
NPD man Stefan Jagsch
Agdas: There were even calls from Turkey - from relatives who said: What's up with you, did you suddenly change your mind? And from friends and my family in Germany. We are 110 people here with all cousins and so on. They were horrified. And I'm very annoyed with myself.
SPIEGEL: In Hessen there is a big violent right-wing extremist scene. Have you ever personally experienced violence or racism?
Agdas: No, never, not even my relatives. Luckily.
SPIEGEL: Why did you join the SPD?
Agdas: Because I'm a Social Democrat through and through, my whole family, including those in Turkey.
SPIEGEL: What's next for you?
Agdas: We have to see that, we are now preparing to opt out of Stefan Jagsch. Let's see how he deals with us afterwards.
SPIEGEL: How do you want to deal with him?
Agdas: We want to deselect Mr. Jagsch and then work normally in the local council with the other members and also him.
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