After Merkel-Hitler photo: Berlin CDU wants to impose regulatory measures against JU leader Burkart

Enlarge image

Berlin JU boss Burkart: Disastrous photomontage

Photo: CDU

The Berlin CDU is considering imposing disciplinary measures against the chairman of the Berlin Junge Union, Harald Burkart, because of behavior that is damaging to the party.

This emerges from a letter from the CDU state manager Dirk Reitze to Burkart, which SPIEGEL has received.

Burkart should therefore respond to the allegations by the beginning of March.

This involves, among other things, a leaflet that Burkart was responsible for and is said to have distributed at the entrance to the state party conference in September 2023.

There, Burkart reported “abusively” about party court proceedings and described members of the state party court who were up for re-election at the party conference as “biased.”

In addition, in January 2024 - almost a month before the repeat of the federal election - he wrote on Instagram: "We have a structural problem with racism in the CDU Berlin." The letter from the state manager states: "With your statement, you are making no further assumptions Justification and in a defamatory manner that there is structural racism in the CDU Berlin." This is "absurd" and also capable of causing "significant damage" to the party's reputation in the election campaign.

The letter also refers to a SPIEGEL report in which chats of the JU boss were reported.

Specifically, it's about a photo montage shared by Burkart in which a poster for the film "Downfall" was distorted.

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel can be seen in the role of Adolf Hitler in the montage.

In another chat message, a photo montage from the right-wing extremist and conspiracy ideological Instagram channel “wachaufdeutschland20” was distributed.

Among other things, there was a cinema poster for the horror film “It”, with Merkel in the role of a horror clown.

“An impressive politician”

These images denigrated the former Chancellor and party leader Angela Merkel in the “worst possible way,” writes the state manager.

Burkart himself told SPIEGEL about the Merkel-Hitler pictures that he was "by no means interested in comparing the personalities" of Merkel and Hitler.

"Rather, the focus was on the satirical adaptation of the film." There was no political statement associated with the photo.

»Federal Chancellor (former)

D. Ms. Dr.

Merkel is an impressive politician of our time," said Burkart.

He doesn't see her as a character in a horror film either.

til