"Crowns series of embarrassments": Anger and mockery after Lambrecht's New Year's Eve video

Created: 03/01/2023 05:05

By: Markus Hofstetter

Christine Lambrecht has received a lot of criticism for her work.

Now she goes one better with an unprofessionally made video in the New Year's Eve fireworks.

Update from January 2, 12:55 p.m .:

The federal government does not want to comment on the controversial annual balance sheet taken by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht in the midst of the Berlin New Year’s Eve fireworks.

"I see no reason to evaluate this here," said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Monday in Berlin.

A Defense Department spokesman said the video was privately recorded and did not use Department resources.

When asked if filming was an appropriate way to welcome the New Year given the war in Ukraine, he said: "The Minister's words in the video speak for themselves.

It's not for me to comment on that."

New Year's video from Defense Minister Lambrecht: Hard to understand thank you with blowing hair

First report from January 2nd:

Berlin – Christine Lambrecht (SPD) did not have much reason to be happy last year.

Criticism rained down on the Minister of Defense from all sides.

The modernization of the Bundeswehr is not progressing, the troops are stuck in an ammunition crisis and the Puma infantry fighting vehicles are a cause for great concern.

In general, she is considered overwhelmed in her office, and calls for her resignation flare up again and again.

The turn of the year is considered a good opportunity to leave the criticism behind.

But for Christine Lambrecht, the new year begins the way the old one went – ​​the minister failed to start again.

A New Year's message she spread on Instagram ensures that the criticism is loud again in the first days of 2023.

In the video, Lambrecht thanks the soldiers of the Bundeswehr.

However, it is difficult to understand because of the background noise of rockets being launched and firecrackers exploding.

“The year 2022 presented us with incredible challenges.

A war is raging in the middle of Europe,” says Lambrecht, while the wind ruffles her hair.

Many impressions and encounters with interesting and great people are connected with it.

You celebrate the turn of the year with family and friends.

"I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who cannot do this because they are on duty for us, as soldiers or police officers, in the hospital or in other areas," said the minister at the end.

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) received a lot of criticism with a New Year's video © Instagram

Reactions to Defense Minister Lambrecht's New Year's video: "Woman lacks a sense of office"

The video, which doesn't look particularly professional, causes a lot of ridicule on social media, which is especially gratefully received by CDU politicians.

Ex-Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet took up an English-language criticism on Twitter ("Have they lost their mind in Berlin?") and asked: "Does the Chancellor actually care nothing about Germany's impact in Europe and the world?".

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"This woman lacks any sense and dignity for her office," writes Paul Schäfer, spokesman for the CDU Saxony, on Twitter.

With the thunder of the New Year's rockets in the background, she tells something about the war in Europe and the great encounters she had in 2022.

Matthias Hauer, CDU member of the Bundestag from Essen, asked on Twitter whether the soldiers felt that the Federal Minister's speech was a worthy representation.

"Even worse than the speech, however, is the performance of the minister in 2022 - at least for 2023 there is still a lot of room for improvement."

Reactions to the Defense Minister's New Year's video: Scholz's expulsion from Lambrecht suggested

The CDU defense politician Serap Güler suggested Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to dismiss Lambrecht.

Referring to the Ukraine war, she wrote on Twitter: "The speech about the war with New Year's firecrackers in the background only adds to her series of embarrassments.

Therefore: Every additional minute in which the Federal Chancellor still holds on to this minister and thus further damages the reputation of our country goes to his account.”

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New Year's video by Defense Minister Lambrecht: No reaction from the traffic light parties

It is no longer about the external impact of a minister, but about Germany's perception in Europe and the world.

"Who should take us so seriously?" Güler wrote on Monday morning.

So far there has been little support for the minister from the traffic light side on Twitter.

Politicians from the SPD, FDP and Greens are keeping a low profile.