While a party expulsion process against Mayor of Turingen Boris Palmer was underway, well-known founding members of the Greens spoke out in support of the sharp-tongued guy from Baden-Württemberg, who has never minced his words.
Palmer stated on his website, borispalmer.de, on Sunday that he would seek for office again, but not for the Greens this time. More than 800 people signed a petition in favor of him and contributed money. “I can’t thank you enough for your support. You were the deciding factor in my decision to apply for a third term.”
Palmer stated that running without the support of his party, which he has been a member of for 25 years, was challenging. “My political home in Baden-Württemberg is and will be the Greens,” he stated. He wants to help them succeed, as well as Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann’s cabinet (Greens). “However, I’m not allowed to do that in this election for unknown reasons.” However, he now possesses the required $100,000 for the election campaign.
Kretschmann wanted Palmer to be his successor for a long time, but the green guy couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
He spoke the dreaded N-word.
The mayor, who is well-known across the country but has been a source of controversy within his own party for years, is facing expulsion because the Greens accuse him of making premeditated taboo violations and gaffes. At the beginning of May last year, a state party convention voted to commence a so-called party order procedure against him. The expulsion will be decided by a state-level internal party arbitration board. Palmer’s use of the so-called N-word in a Facebook post regarding former German national soccer star Dennis Aogo in May was the catalyst for the procedure. This term is now used to refer to a racist epithet for black people that was once prevalent in Germany. Palmer stated that his remark was made in jest.
Green was a letdown.
Palmer’s decision was met with dissatisfaction by the Greens in Tübingen. “We regret that he will not face the party vote,” Marc Mausch, a spokesman for the Tübingen Greens city executive, told the dpa on Sunday, referring to the Greens’ planned primary election, which will pick a mayor candidate. Palmer’s choice does not demonstrate sovereignty; rather, it pushes the Greens to share authority. “He’s already demonstrated that he doesn’t care about the party,” Mausch added. He sees the procedure for party exclusion as a reason to be advanced. Palmer could have run for mayor even if he wasn’t a member of the Green Party.