Causa Bernd Lucke: Professor with police protection

Red and white barriers are in front of the entrance, dozens of police guard the grounds, security forces control who walks in and out. For a few weeks now, these scenes take place on Wednesdays in front of the physics section of the University of Hamburg. Bernd Lucke gives his lecture on Macroeconomics 2, and he should do that undisturbed. Therefore, the "insane effort," as University President Dieter Lenzen says.

The Lucke case has been holding Lenzen for months, as well as Senator of Science Katharina Fegebank, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics Gabriele Löschper, the Chief of Police, the representatives of the General Students Committee (AStA) and many others in the city. And he raises questions that have long since reached beyond Hamburg's borders.

"It's not about Mr. Lucke." This goes much further, says Lenzen in a special meeting of the Hamburg Committee of the Wissenschaftsausschuss, which was convened on Wednesday with several participants to process the incidents.

Threats from various political circles

Luckes first lecture on 16 October had been stormed by about 150 disturbers, they had the AfD co-founder harassed and called a "Nazi pig". A second lecture on October 23 had to be canceled because about 20 disturbers in the lecture hall urged. The incidents triggered a nationwide debate on freedom of expression.

But is this about freedom of opinion or the freedom of research and teaching? Where are the boundaries blurring, when are some crossed? At what price must these freedoms be defended - and who should pay it?

Such questions are currently being discussed at many German universities, says university president Lenzen. In Hamburg, a commission was formed to document and analyze different cases. It should develop recommendations on how freedom of science can be protected. Regardless of gap.

It is about threats from various political, Islamist and Salafist circles. On Monday, the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) in Hamburg will host the topic on the agenda - and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who had already criticized "aggressive refusal to talk" in the Lucke debate.

"Unis must be free of party politics"

DPA

Special Session of the Science Committee

One agrees also in the special meeting in the Hamburg imperial hall, that low-shouting and violence are to be condemned "in the sharpest", as Fegebank says. Peaceful protest, as at the AStA rally, is widely supported. "Universities are not a policy-free area," says the green senator. "But they must be free of party politics."

Only: Is the university in Lucke free of it?

Bernd Lucke has taken a five-year university break, in 2014 he joined the European Parliament for the AfD, was voted out of office in 2015, then declared his retreat, founded a new party (Liberal Conservative reformer), failed in 2019 in the European elections as a leading candidate - and then made use of his right to return to the University of Hamburg. As a full-time C4 professor.

There were protests, the AStA said: "Such a person does not belong to the university." Lucke in turn wanted the allegations that he had taken right-wing extremist positions in the AfD, not so let.

At the beginning of the semester he sent faculty colleagues and about 300 students, who had registered for his lecture - a compulsory event - an unusual message about the Studieninfonetz Stine.

"Please understand"

Markus Scholz / DPA

Bernd Lucke: Professor with personal protection

"Please understand that I am not willing to accept the reputation-damaging accusations of the AStA idly," he writes in the text that is available to the SPIEGEL. He adds to this message a large body of documentation about a hundred PDFs, including e-mails, letters, minutes of meetings, and media articles to prove that he has always distanced himself from right-wing extremist positions.

Among them is also a newsletter Luckes of 2013: In the media, much speculation that the AfD "fierce disputes over the theme of 'Islam' lead. He spoke with many members about this topic and could "not confirm the impression fed by the press".

In an e-mail to an AFD member, he writes: "You can not serve as a member of the board of a member of the constitutional body, if you want to abolish democracy, please leave the party." All this has nothing to do with macroeconomics, but with luck as a person, as a politician. The documents in their selection draw a certain picture of him - and the AfD.

Christian Carisius / DPA

Gabriele Löschper, Katharina Fegebank, Dieter Lenzen: "Screaming low" does not work

Students who come from Luckes lecture are divided. Some consider him "a good pro", no problem, they are annoyed by the hype. Others, however, find Lucke's political role difficult because he has not distanced himself enough from right-wing extremist attitudes. Some distribute flyers with criticism.

Karim Kuropka, AStA chairman says that they have started a series of events to deal with the professor as a politician. Title: "Lu (e) cke in the CV". Löschper says that in the Faculty Council there was no majority for an event with Mr. Lucke, because he "got already a fairly broad stage" by the incidents.

"We are at the border"

After the disturbances, the University offered Lucke to stream his lecture for students to the Internet. He refused. So she has been held twice under police protection. The professor also holds two seminars that were trouble-free. Also here are security companies in action, personal and building protectors. "We are at the limit of what a university can do," says Lenzen.

Some students find the squad oppressive. "You feel uncomfortable," says Nadia, 23, as she comes out of the lecture. Dean Löschper reports in the special session that it would also concern employees: "They ask themselves: 'What are all the bodyguards doing here? The situation is not only stressful for Mr Lucke, I would really like to say that here.'

Axel Heimken / DPA

Policemen in front of the university: protection of the freedom of teaching

Bomb threat, signed with "Heil Hitler"

500 people would have had to leave the university building after a bomb threat on October 24, a day after the second Lucke lecture was disturbed, says Lenzen and quoted from the threatening letter. Of "accursed, left green spotted bums" is the speech in which you want to come up with three explosives. The letter is signed with "Heil Hitler" and "NSU 2.0".

Explosives are not found. But: "That's something to do with people," says Lenzen. "We're not just dealing with the question of whether the teaching is secure, it goes on, the text speaks for itself." Around 300 letters have been received by the university, where they are verbally abused, probably all from the same source. Kuropka reports that AStA has received hate mail, swastikas have been scratched in the office door.

Students would also be afraid, says the dean, that it could come again to threatening disturbances of the Lucke lecture. Others worried that they might be disadvantaged because of their migrant background. For this reason, the faculty has been offering an alternative lecture on macroeconomics 2 for two weeks, on Thursdays.

Löschper says, "For peace and quiet, we can not really afford it financially, but we responded to an emergency." Around 120 students have so far registered for it. "I like the date better," says a student after such an event. Another one has opted "also for political reasons".

The additional event, the police operations, the consequences of the bomb threat, the security companies - all these costs, Lenzen estimates, add up to a six-figure amount. Who pays in the end? One will still clarify that, so the senator.

"Militant minority has prevailed"

Markus Scholz / DPA

Bernd Lucke tries to hold his inaugural lecture

In any case, much is done that Bernd Lucke can exercise his right to freedom of teaching. "Law should not give way to injustice", this sentence is often quoted in the special session. Nevertheless, there is the accusation: Senator and university president would not have done enough to protect the professor and only "lukewarm" defends the freedom of scholarship.

A militant minority has prevailed, scolds Jörn Kruse, former AFD faction leader, now without party. AFD man Dirk Nockemann names Fegebank and Lenzen as "guilty party" in addition to Antifa. Both have rejected the allegations. They had always coordinated closely with the police.

Opinion against freedom of research?

Police Commissioner Ralf Martin Meyer said that in the protests against the first Lucke lecture two fundamental rights had to be weighed against each other: "There is a right to freedom of assembly," he says, "and a right to freedom of teaching."

People can openly express their opinions in a peaceful demo. "There was no reason to ban the rally or even deter people with physical violence," Meyer says.

From the demo, finally, around 150 people had dissolved and flooded the auditorium with luck. "If we went in there with the police, it would definitely have resulted in people being wounded, which would have been disproportionate." De-escalation is the keyword.

And how should it continue? Lucke, 57, has eight years to go before retirement age, says a member of parliament. Should there be police protection for his lectures? Gentle laughter in the hall. The Police and Science Department states, "We decide from week to week what is appropriate." It keeps you covered - and hopes calm will come.