Berlin's culture senator resigns over misused anti-Semitism funds amid political fallout
Berlin (dpa) — In the controversy over misallocated funds for anti-Semitism initiatives, Berlin CDU Secretary-General Ottilie Klein has defended governing mayor Kai Wegner against criticism. She dismissed attacks from the opposition and SPD top candidate Steffen Krach as "a completely transparent maneuver" and "electioneering noise," telling broadcaster RBB: "It's perfectly clear that they're trying to exploit this issue for political gain."
The resignation of Culture Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson (independent) earlier on Friday—just five months before Berlin's state parliamentary elections—followed a damning report by the city's audit office. On Thursday, the office ruled that millions in funding for a series of anti-Semitism prevention projects had been allocated unlawfully.
Klein expressed "great respect" for Wedl-Wilson's decision and praised her for taking responsibility, though she called the resignation "painful." "She was an excellent senator and highly regarded in cultural policy circles," Klein added.
Klein denies rift with coalition partner SPD
She rejected attempts to hold Wegner accountable for the scandal, calling such claims "unfounded." Instead, Klein urged a focus on combating anti-Semitism in the city. "Our priority now must be getting these funds where they're needed—out into the community," said Klein, who also serves as the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's spokesperson for culture and media.
Klein dismissed suggestions of tension with the governing SPD, noting that Krach—Berlin's former state secretary—"speaks neither for the coalition nor holds any role in state politics today." She added, "We're taking this in stride." Krach, who left Berlin's government in 2021, now serves as regional president in his hometown of Hanover.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
