"Don't want them" - Heated debate over events in Regensburg
A heated debate erupted in Regensburg’s city council over whether political factions should be allowed to use public venues for events. The discussion began after a Green Party gathering took place at a community centre, despite rules banning partisan activities there. Councillors clashed over fairness, democracy, and the definition of political events.
The argument started when a volunteer appreciation event for Green state lawmaker Jürgen Mistol was held at the Regensburg-Stadtamhof community centre. Current guidelines forbid partisan political events in such spaces, prompting questions from CSU councillor Dagmar Schmidl about why the event was permitted.
Joachim Wolbergs (Brücke) called for a policy review, insisting all factions needed access to venues. He warned that excluding political parties would unfairly single them out compared to other volunteer groups. CSU’s Josef Zimmermann disagreed, arguing that factions could use their own budgets to rent private spaces instead. AfD councillor Thomas Straub criticised Wolbergs’ proposal, accusing him of misunderstanding democracy. Wolbergs fired back, stating that most AfD officials were Nazis—a claim he refused to retract. Mayor Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer (SPD) stepped in, clarifying that the term 'partisan' was added to highlight that all events have political dimensions, even if not explicitly party-affiliated. The debate also touched on the Schreiberhaus on St. Katharinenplatz, with some questioning whether it should host political gatherings. Mayor Maltz-Schwarzfischer closed the discussion by noting that the existing rules, approved by the council, could only be changed by a full vote. She added that while political figures could be invited by associations, they could not represent their parties in such settings. The Alte Mälzerei, a cultural venue in Regensburg, was mentioned as a space for non-political events like concerts and comedy shows. However, no details emerged on which venues factions prefer for their activities.
The council’s administrative committee left the guidelines unchanged for now. Any future adjustments would require a formal vote. The dispute highlighted ongoing tensions over how public spaces should balance political and community use in Regensburg.
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