Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock defends herself after the plagiarism allegations against her book.
The Green politician gives a reason for missing sources.
Berlin - The last few weeks could have gone better for the Greens' candidate for chancellor.
First Annalena Baerbock had to admit that she had formulated imprecisely in some places in her résumé.
Then her party lost more and more ground in polls for the federal election against the CDU / CSU and their top candidate Armin Laschet.
To make matters worse, there were also recently plagiarism allegations against the Green leader.
The Austrian plagiarism researcher Peter Weber accuses Baerbock of removing some passages from her book “Jetzt. How we renew our country ”. A Green spokesman called the allegations against her top candidate attempted "character assassination". With Christian Schertz, the party engaged a well-known lawyer who specializes in media law. The lawyer found that he could not determine in Baerbock's book "not in the beginning of a copyright infringement".
During a live talk with
Brigitte
magazine
in a Berlin cinema on Thursday (July 1), Baerbock answered questions from editor-in-chief Brigitte Huber and her colleague Meike Dinklage.
And there, too, not everything went smoothly - though through no fault of the Green politician.
The live stream on the
Brigitte
homepage had no sound.
Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock: "No non-fiction written" - therefore no footnotes
When asked about the plagiarism allegations, Baerbock went back a little.
"I wrote a book where I wanted to make it clear who I am and what drives me," began the Greens' candidate for chancellor.
“Also to make it clear what I find positive in this country.” Her book “incorporated a lot of ideas from others.
But I haven't written a non-fiction book or anything, but what I want to do with this country - and on the other hand I have described the world as it is based on facts and realities. "
That is also the reason why the much-discussed passages were not additionally marked in her book.
“I take the public sources that are out there.
Since it is not a non-fiction book, there are no footnotes or the like in the book, ”added Baerbock.
Green Chancellor candidate Baerbock: Better to make mistakes and learn from them than to avoid mistakes
When asked whether she preferred to make mistakes or to avoid mistakes, Baerbock said: "make mistakes".
The Green Chancellor candidate added: “I've learned a lot in the last few weeks.
It is important to me to be self-critical.
And to say: 'We have to do better.' "
Those who want to do things better often approach them differently than what has been done before, said Baerbock.
That needs some changes.
And one or the other citizen can also see change negatively.
The election campaign was tough, decided Baerbock.
But that's what she expected.
"For some, it may be tough that a 40-year-old woman competes," speculated the Green politician.
The election campaign was fought hard, and that was perfectly fine. She could also withstand criticism, said the Greens leader, because she had a higher goal: “To fight for a cause that is very important.” At the same time, Baerbock appealed for political opponents to be treated fairly with one another. "Let us argue, but with respect for one another and decency."
(Kh)