The Green Youth has elected two new spokespersons - both have come under severe criticism because of older tweets.
Even a minister agrees.
Berlin - The newly elected spokesmen for the Green Youth, Sarah-Lee Heinrich and Timon Dzienus, experienced an extremely bumpy debut in their new office.
It was only on Saturday that the 20-year-old and the 25-year-old were elected to the top of the Green youth organization in Erfurt - a few hours later a massive shit storm rolled over the young Greens.
Even Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) agreed to the sometimes fierce criticism.
The reason for this are some tweets that are several years old.
Green youth: New speakers directly in the crossfire - report triggers Shitstorm, Klöckner agrees
Among other things, the
picture had taken up
the topic. In its online edition, the newspaper quoted, among other things, a tweet by Dzienus, in which the FDP leader Christian Lindner called “right-wing vomit” - the occasion was the election of FDP man Thomas Kemmerich as Thuringian Prime Minister with votes from the AfD at the beginning of 2020. In another - still available - posting, the Green had threatened TV presenter Jörg Pilawa with expropriation. In this case, it was about a report on the ARD man's travel plans to a private island that had been canceled due to the corona.
"Youth is something beautiful, but alone is not enough as an argument for any behavior and expression," Klöckner then explained in the short message service.
Erika Steinbach, chairwoman of the AfD-affiliated Erasmus Foundation, took up several allegations against Heinrich.
The reports came shortly before the start of new traffic light exploratory talks between the SPD, Greens and FDP - but should hardly affect them.
Also read:
Hate and agitation on the Internet can result in high penalties
Heinrich admitted mistakes himself on Sunday.
"I just became aware of a tweet in which my account commented 'Heil' under a tweet with a swastika in 2015," wrote the 20-year-old on Twitter on Sunday.
You can't remember ever posting such a tweet - but that doesn't make it any better.
"That was extremely stupid and inappropriate," she explained.
Heinrich emphasized that she was part of an anti-fascist youth organization.
“This tweet in no way reflects my position.
I'm really sorry to have ever posted such a tweet. ”The post has since been deleted.
Greens heavily criticized for older tweets: "I guess they are jittery about a black, left-wing woman"
Even before she commented on the “Heil” tweet, Heinrich complained on Twitter that since her election rights had been trying to raise shitstorms against her.
"I guess they are jittery about a black, left-wing woman." There were screenshots of old tweets from her, "some of which are vulgar or offensive".
"What is deliberately removed from the screenshots of tweets: They are from 2014/2015," she criticized.
“I was 13/14 years old then.” She demanded: “Measure me and like to criticize my positions and my political work.
I am not going to explain myself to everything that I once thought and said when I was 14, I do not ask anyone to do that ”.
Green youth leader Sarah-Lee Heinrich experienced a shit storm shortly after the election - Göring-Eckardt and Chebli spoke up
In her application speech in Erfurt, Heinrich focused on social issues. “Many people are afraid that climate protection means that they will be worse off. I can understand that, because they too know how holey our welfare state is and that as soon as they become unemployed they are no longer worth anything in this society. ”She criticized a lack of training places, poorly paid part-time jobs for students and discrimination against people Migration history.
Green parliamentary group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt wrote to Heinrich's address on Sunday: “We all make mistakes.
You stand by it and apologize.
Thanks for that.
But also thank you for making it clear what it is, exclusion through poverty, through ignorance, through racism or indifference. ”The SPD politician Sawsan Chebli, who was often violently attacked on social media, also demonstratively strengthened Heinrich's back:“ Dear Sarah-Lee Many of US know what you are experiencing only too well.
Do not let it get you.
You are great the way you are, ”she said on Twitter.
(
dpa / fn
)
