Tübingen’s mayor Boris Palmer (independent) will continue to be coached after his time out. “I built a relationship of trust with the coach and found that to be meaningful and valuable,” Palmer told the German Press Agency. “And I’ll continue that as long as I think it makes sense.” He continues to work on dealing with conflicts confidently. “And not to get myself into something that won’t be good for anyone afterwards.”
The mayor of the city of 90,000 residents took a four-week break on June 1st. The reason for this was a scandal surrounding Palmer’s statements on the sidelines of a migration conference in Frankfurt/Main at the end of April.
He had an argument with a protest group over his use of the “N-word”, a racist term for black people previously used in Germany. The protesters confronted him with shouts of “Nazis out.” He then said: “It’s nothing other than the Jewish star. And that’s because I used a word that you base everything else on. If you say the wrong word, you’re a Nazi.”
After the escalation, he also resigned from the Green Party. The politician had repeatedly caused offense with provocative statements. He is currently not looking for a new party, Palmer continued. “I’m not on the market,” emphasizes the 51-year-old. After 27 years of membership in the Green Party with “joys and sorrows,” he has no need to reorient himself at the moment.
Palmer has been mayor of Tübingen since 2007. With statements about refugee policy, for example, he repeatedly caused controversy and was accused of racism.
His management during the corona pandemic and his local environmental policy also brought nationwide attention and recognition.
