The fact that Boris Palmer of all people praises his party colleague Annalena Baerbock for having apologized after using the "N-word" seems like a higher irony. The Tübingen Lord Mayor of the Greens had used the derogatory term for people of black skin from colonial and slavery times in what he described as ironic on the subject of racism. Palmer hadn't apologized, just regretted if he should have hurt someone. But he doesn't take anything back. That was reason enough for Baerbock to support demands for his exclusion from the party.
Unlike Palmer, the Greens' candidate for chancellor is extremely contrite and self-critical. In doing so, she quoted the "N-word" in a video interview, completely irony-free and emotionally agitated, in order to vividly describe a racist incident that had occurred to her at a school. And if the Bild newspaper had not asked her about her use of the word against the background of the Palmer case, Baerbock would hardly have panicked in the middle of the election campaign after a series of mistakes and mishaps. For fear of being branded as a racist in the heated debate on identity politics, Baerbock censored the bad word with a beep. In doing so, she bows to the magical thinking of many in her party. And receives praise from Palmer as punishment.