First, Bavaria’s economics minister and deputy head of state came into the line of fire because of an anti-Semitic leaflet. Now more allegations are piling up.
While the Bavarian State Chancellery is still brooding over Hubert Aiwanger’s statements on an anti-Semitic leaflet from his youth, further allegations against the politician have already become public. His former art teacher accuses him of having spattered her with acid when she was in ninth grade. A colleague confirmed the incident, which was first reported by the “Oberbayerisches Volksblatt” (OVB).
According to the affected teacher Gudrun A., she initially assumed that the splashes were water. Shortly thereafter, however, she noticed holes in her clothing caused by the probably caustic liquid. “I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if he had hit me in the face or in the eyes,” said A. in an interview with “OVB”.
The consequence for Aiwanger (free voters) was an interim reprimand by the school director. In addition, the teacher received a replacement for the damaged clothing from Aiwanger’s parents. When asked by the newspaper about the incident, Aiwanger did not comment.
Swastikas, “Mein Kampf” and a Nazi song?
Additional allegations have surfaced in recent days. As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported on Friday, citing two of Aiwanger’s classmates, they are said to have said that he was noticed as a teenager at his progressive high school in Lower Bavaria with his extreme right-wing attitude. The men refer to swastika daubs on a school toilet, which are said to have come from Aiwanger.
In addition, he is said to have carried Adolf Hitler’s inflammatory book “Mein Kampf” with him and repeatedly sang the banned party anthem of the NSDAP, the Horst Wessel song. One of the former classmates, however, points out that all of this was a long time ago and from his point of view what matters most is how you feel about your own past today.
So far, Aiwanger has only commented on the anti-Semitic leaflet and denied being its author. After stating on Thursday that he regretted hurting feelings, he announced on Friday that he would no longer answer individual questions about his school days.
However, his statement on a catalog with 25 questions that Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had already presented to him on Tuesday is eagerly awaited. On Saturday morning, the State Chancellery confirmed the receipt of Aiwanger’s answers – they now want to evaluate them “in peace”, according to CSU circles.
