Despite ACAB: Jette Nietzard doesn't deserve these Swabians
The Green Party youth leader's "All Cops are Bastards" slogan was indecent—but so are Özdemir and Kretschmann's reactions. A comment.
The Greens have had to learn an unconditional will to retain power. But at least since the red-green coalition, the party has wanted to govern – even with Merz and Söder, a black-green coalition could have been envisioned. The center of power of the "Governing Greens" is Baden-Württemberg. There, Winfried Kretschmann and Cem Özdemir are currently razing everyone and everything that stands between them and retaining power. They're not stopping at their own party.
"I don't understand at all what she wants from us," the Green MP from the Stuttgart State Chancellery ranted against Jette Nietzard. Kretschmann, who feels like he's been alienated from his party for some time, even suggested that the Green Youth leader should leave: "Pick the right party and just leave us. We're not the right address for the kind of attitude you have." Well, first of all, things used to be different; we remember the young Joschka Fischer. Second, that's at least one step above the rest. I'm not a fan of Jette Nietzard and her statements. The ACAB sweater was extremely indecent. Still, a sweater doesn't necessarily make a person's attitude. And "she" is simply derogatory; Kretschmann must surely know the name of the youth leader.
Even the otherwise calm Cem Özdemir, recently nominated as the Green Party's top candidate in Baden-Württemberg, sharply criticized Nietzard. Anyone who doesn't understand that the police defend fundamental values is in the wrong place with the Greens, said the former federal minister. He has no connection with such statements. That, too, goes too far. As I said, one can say a lot of negative things about Nietzard, but I find it inappropriate to immediately deny her intelligence. Surely there must be another, more important, and perhaps even political issue in the state that the incumbent and perhaps future state premier could address? It's not that there shouldn't be internal party criticism of the action. But there could have been an internal agreement. The Swabian double-cross probably has something to do not only with "ACAB," but also with the fact that the Greens in Baden-Württemberg are currently about 11 percent behind the CDU. It is unfair that Nietzard is being abused by Kretschmann and Özdemir to showcase their own conservative values.
LinkedIn version of a party leaderBut criticism is also coming from within the federal party. Felix Banaszak, the LinkedIn version of a party chairman, expressed his hope that the party's youth wing would take the "right action." Aha – what conclusions did Banaszak and his colleagues draw from the disastrous federal election results? I'm surprised the party leadership hasn't immediately pinned this result on Nietzard. One can only hope that Jette Nietzard will play her game of overstepping boundaries more wisely. If she were to be canceled because of a sweater, it would be a disgrace for the Green Party's political system – and for Germany in general.
Berliner-zeitung
