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CDU politician with neo-Nazi links quits party

A regional politician in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU has stepped down from the party after his links to far-right extremism were exposed.

Published: 20 December 2019 09:40 CET

CDU politician with neo-Nazi links quits party

Robert Möritz. Photo: DPA

Robert Möritz, who was a member of the CDU’s executive committee in Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, triggered a crisis in German politics when it became known that he used to be active in the extreme right-wing scene.

Now, according to German media, he has left the party.

Möritz confirmed last week that he was a member of Uniter, a support network aimed at helping soldiers reintegrate back into civilian life but which is said to have links to far-right circles.

The politician said at the weekend that he had cancelled his membership with the group. However, his social media also showed that in 2011 he had worked as a steward at a neo-Nazi march in Halle.

Meanwhile, a photo had emerged of Möritz showing a swastika-like “black sun” tattoo – a symbol popular with neo-Nazis – on his arm.

Ex-Neonazi: Robert Möritz tritt aus CDU aus… https://t.co/E5C2FhM5DV

— SPIEGEL ONLINE Politik (@SPIEGEL_Politik) December 20, 2019

After the revelations emerged, the district council had initially supported Mörtiz because he had distanced himself from his past, they said.

However, on Thursday the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt had asked the 29-year-old to detail all his activities within the far-right scene in writing by December 27th. In addition he was asked to declare that swastikas and other Nazi symbolism were incompatible with the principles of the CDU.

According to German daily Die Welt, Möritz wrote in a statement that he was seeking “immediate resignation from all internal party functions and immediate resignation from the CDU” because he wanted to “avert damage” away from the party.

“I would like to send out a personal signal,” he added in the statement. “Sometimes you need to reflect on your true priorities in life.”

'How many swastikas have a place in the CDU?'

The case had triggered a debate within the CDU about how to deal with potential right-wing extremists within their own ranks.

The CDU's coalition partners in Saxony-Anhalt, the centre-left SPD and the Greens, slammed the behavior of state premier Reiner Haseloff and CDU state leader Holger Stahlknecht, for not taking immediate action.

“How many swastikas have a place in the CDU?” asked Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz and Sebastian Striegel, the co-chairs of the Greens in Saxony-Anhalt, alluding to Möritz's tattoo.

Mörtiz had said his tattoo was inspired by his interest in Celtic mythology.

The incident also sparked a storm at the national level.

“We take resolute and uncompromising action against all forms of right-wing extremism,” said Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the leader of the CDU on Wednesday.

SPD general secretary Lars Klingbeil had accused the CDU leadership of keeping silent about the case. This was “absolutely incomprehensible”, Klingbeil told the Tagesspiegel.

The controversy comes at a tricky time for German politics as debate rages on about whether the centre-right CDU should enter into alliances with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has surged in popularity in recent years, particuarly in eastern Germany.

The CDU at the national level has so far ruled out any cooperation with the anti-immigration AfD.

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Output is expected to expand 0.3 percent this year, the economy ministry said, up from a prediction of 0.2 percent in February.

The slightly rosier picture comes after improvements in key indicators — from factory output to business activity — boosted hopes a recovery may be getting under way.

The German economy shrank slightly last year, hit by soaring inflation, a manufacturing slowdown and weakness in trading partners, and has acted as a major drag on the 20-nation eurozone.

But releasing its latest projections, the economy ministry said in a statement there were growing indications of a “turning point”.

“Signs of an economic upturn have increased significantly, especially in recent weeks,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at a press conference.

The ministry also cut its forecast for inflation this year to 2.4 percent, from a previous prediction of 2.8 percent, and sees the figure falling below two percent next year.

“The fall in inflation will lead to consumer demand — people have more money in their wallets again, and will spend this money,” said Habeck.

“So purchasing power is increasing, real wages are rising and this will contribute to a domestic economic recovery.”

Energy prices — which surged after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — had also fallen and supply chain woes had eased, he added.

Several months ago there had been expectations of a strong rebound in 2024, with forecasts of growth above one percent, but these were dialled back at the start of the year as the economy continued to languish.

‘Germany has fallen behind’

But improving signs have fuelled hopes the lumbering economy — while not about to break into a sprint — may at least be getting back on its feet.

On Wednesday a closely-watched survey from the Ifo institute showed business sentiment rising for a third consecutive month in April, and more strongly than expected.

A key purchasing managers’ index survey this week showed that business activity in Germany had picked up.

And last week the central bank, the Bundesbank, forecast the economy would expand slightly in the first quarter, dodging a recession, after earlier predicting a contraction.

German Economics Minister Robert Habeck

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) presents the latest economic forecasts at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday, April 24th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler

Despite the economy’s improving prospects, growth of 0.3 percent is still slower than other developed economies and below past rates, and officials fret it is unlikely to pick up fast in the years ahead.

Habeck has repeatedly stressed solutions are needed for deep-rooted problems facing Germany, from an ageing population to labour shortages and a transition towards greener industries that is moving too slowly.

“Germany has fallen behind other countries in terms of competitiveness,” he said. “We still have a lot to do — we have to roll up our sleeves.”

Already facing turbulence from pandemic-related supply chain woes, the German economy’s problems deepened dramatically when Russia invaded Ukraine and slashed supplies of gas, hitting the country’s crucial manufacturers hard.

While the energy shock has faded, continued weakness in trading partners such as China, widespread strikes in recent months and higher eurozone interest rates have all prolonged the pain.

The European Central Bank has signalled it could start cutting borrowing costs in June, which would boost the eurozone.

But Habeck stressed that care was still needed as, despite the expectations of imminent easing, “tight monetary policy has not yet been lifted.”

In addition, disagreements in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party ruling coalition are hindering efforts to reignite growth, critics say.

This week the pro-business FDP party, a coalition partner, faced an angry backlash from Scholz’s SPD when it presented a 12-point plan for an “economic turnaround”, including deep cuts to state benefits.

Christian Lindner, the fiscally hawkish FDP finance minister, welcomed signs of “stabilisation” in the economic forecasts but stressed that projected medium-term growth was “too low to sustainably finance our state”.

“There are no arguments for postponing the economic turnaround,” he added.