Controversy in Berlin: Minister of Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger Requests Temporary Retirement of Secretary After Internal Review
Berlin Minister of Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), has made headlines after requesting Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to place her Secretary, Sabine Döring, on temporary retirement following a controversial internal review commission. The review was prompted by uncovered internal emails revealing discussions about funding-related consequences for university professors who criticized the eviction of a protest camp by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at a Berlin University. The subsequent fallout led to more than 2000 scientists demanding Stark-Watzinger's resignation, with criticism also coming from the Greens and the SPD. While the FDP politician confirmed the separation from Döring, stating that funding-related consequences for expressions covered by freedom of speech do not take place, the SPD expressed support for the Minister's actions to regain trust. On the other hand, the CDU/CSU called for Stark-Watzinger's resignation, emphasizing the need for a new start in personnel at the BMBF. The FDP defended Stark-Watzinger by highlighting a severely disrupted relationship of trust with the dismissed Secretary. As Döring exits her position, questions remain about her successor and the ministry's future direction. Stark-Watzinger criticized the open letter from the scientists, pointing out the letter's alleged oversight of Hamas terror and anti-Semitic incitement. The ministry's response to these events and the ongoing situation is anxiously awaited by various stakeholders in the German research and education community.
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