Nobody would have resented Peter Feldmann (SPD) with a view to the discussion about the appearance of a right-wing publisher at the book fair, if he had formulated a general appeal at the award of the peace prize on Sunday that Frankfurt should remain open to the world.
He could also have asked those responsible at the book fair to find a clever solution to the tricky question of how freedom of expression and the concerns of visitors and authors can be taken into account in the future.
However, Feldmann said: “In the coming year I want these authors to feel welcome and safe.” He has therefore specified how the conflict should be resolved; Those who did not understand it were told that human dignity takes precedence over freedom of expression.
With this "I want" the mayor exceeded his authority. He was aggressive and therefore tactless. Because it is not up to the city, but to the subsidiary of the Börsenverein, which organized the book fair, to decide on the participation of publishers. It is a guest fair, not a show organized by Messe Frankfurt GmbH, in which the city holds shares and whose supervisory board is chaired by Feldmann; Even there, however, the question arose as to whether the admission of exhibitors is not just a matter for the management.
Those who fight radicals, who want to protect citizens, should first adhere to the framework given by the law.
It's broad enough.
However, the difficult questions raised by the Book Fair 2021 cannot be solved with Basta sayings that go beyond one's own competence.
They also fall back on Feldmann: What does he do when nobody listens to his “I want”?