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Berlin mayor hopeful and ex-cabinet minister stripped of doctorate title in uni scandal

A leading candidate standing for Berlin mayor in September was stripped of her doctorate Thursday over plagiarism charges weeks after she resigned from Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet over the affair.

Published: 10 June 2021 16:18 CEST
Berlin mayor hopeful and ex-cabinet minister stripped of doctorate title in uni scandal
Franziska Giffey in Berlin on June 4th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bernd von Jutrczenka

Berlin’s Free University said it was rescinding Franziska Giffey’s PhD title – often seen as an important bona fide in German politics – after a review of her 2009 doctoral thesis.

It said its board had reached “unanimous agreement after a comprehensive review”, concluding that Giffey was awarded the title “on the basis of deception about the independence of her scientific work”.

Giffey said in a statement that she denied any intent to commit fraud but accepted the decision.

Last month Giffey stepped down as federal family affairs minister due to the negative headlines over her degree but said she still intended to run as the Social Democrats’ candidate for Berlin mayor in elections in September.

READ ALSO: German minister resigns over plagiarism claims

The Social Democrats (SPD) currently lead the city-state’s government and serve as junior partners in Merkel’s right-left coalition. Giffey has long been seen as one of the SPD’s most promising young talents. 

The SPD is currently polling at around 20 percent in the capital, behind the Greens at around 25 percent.

Giffey, 43, had been dogged by claims of plagiarism since 2019, when the Free University opened a probe into her doctoral thesis on European politics.

The VroniPlag Wiki platform said some 49 of the 265 pages of the thesis showed signs of plagiarism, ranging from unattributed quotes to copying and pasting from other works.

The university had initially ruled that Giffey could retain her “doctor” title but issued a reprimand, fuelling further suspicions about her work.

A new investigation was opened in 2020, leading to Thursday’s findings.

Several top-flight politicians have run into trouble often decades on over their academic work, sparking a national debate about the value of the
accolades and their outsize role in German society.

READ ALSO: Another German minister hit by plagiarism row

Former defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and education minister Annette Schavan were forced to resign in 2011 and 2013 respectively over allegations of plagiarism.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, previously German defence chief, faced similar accusations in 2015 but was cleared by the Medical University of Hanover despite “obvious shortcomings” in the attribution of references.

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POLITICS

German president decries ‘violence’ in politics after attacks

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday he was worried by the growing trend of violence towards politicians after a series of attacks on lawmakers at work or on the campaign trail.

Published: 23 May 2024 14:29 CEST
German president decries 'violence' in politics after attacks

“We must never get used to violence in the battle of political opinions,” Steinmeier said at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the German constitution.

The basic law, promulgated in 1949, was a response to Germany’s experience with political violence during World War II, Steinmeier said.

“No one knew better than the mothers and fathers of the constitution how violence undermines a democracy and tears down its foundations,” Steinmeier said.

READ ALSO: ‘Grundgesetz’ – what does Germany’s Basic Law really mean?

The threat of political violence had again reared its head in Germany, the president said.

“We have received news of physical attacks on elected officials and politically active people almost every day,” he said.

“I am deeply concerned about the coarsening of political life in our country.”

READ ALSO: How politically motivated crimes are rising in Germany 

Earlier this month, police arrested a man on suspicion of hitting a former mayor of Berlin in the head during a visit to a public library.

Franziska Giffey, who is now the Berlin state economy minister and a member of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), was treated in hospital for light injuries.

Giffey’s assault came just days after a European member of parliament, also from the SPD, had to be hospitalised after four people attacked him while he was out canvassing.

READ ALSO: Why are German politicians facing increasing attacks?

Senior members of the government have also been confronted by angry mobs in recent months, with Economy Minister Robert Habeck blocked from leaving a ferry by a group of protesters.

In his speech, Steinmeier also recalled the politically motivated murder of the conservative politician Walter Luebcke by neo-Nazis in 2019.

“His death is a reminder of how hate can turn into violence,” Steinmeier said.

This week also saw proceedings open against the alleged ringleaders of a group who are said to have planned to storm the German parliament and overthrow the government.

The group of so-called Reichsbuerger, who deny the legitimacy of the modern German republic, allegedly planned to take MPs hostage and had compiled “lists of enemies” to be eliminated, according to prosecutors.

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