Russian TV host calls Germany's Olaf Scholz a 'moron'
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While speaking at a Catholic Day panel event in the city of Stuttgart on Friday, Mr Scholz was interrupted by climate change protesters, with one campaigner reportedly trying to climb up on stage before being blocked by security staff. The Chancellor was disrupted by green activists after he discussed the mining jobs that were lost in the country’s plans to completely phase out coal-fired power by 2030.
After the campaigners were blocked by the security, Mr Scholz said: “I’ll be honest:
“These black-clad displays at various events by the same people over and over again remind me of a time that is, thank God, long gone by.”
Some have claimed this is a reference to the black-clad Nazi SS officers that wreaked hell on Germany during World War 2.
He added: “I have also been to events where five people sat dressed in the same way, each had a well-rehearsed stance, and then they do it again every time.
“And that’s why I think that is not a discussion, that is not a participation in a discussion, but an attempt to manipulate events for one’s own purposes. One should not do this.”
Mr Scholz’s comments sparked fury online, with many demanding that he apologise.
Luisa Neubauer, a prominent figure in the Fridays for Future movement said: “Scholz is comparing climate activists with Nazis.
“The Chancellor of the republic trivialises the Nazi regime and, paradoxically, the climate crisis too … that’s such a scandal.”
Erik Marquardt, a Green MEP, also demanded an apology. “Chancellor Scholz does not have to like the civil disobedience of climate activism — but here he compares people who campaign for the climate with Nazis.”
A government spokesperson denied that the German Chancellor was making the comparison, calling the accusation “completely absurd”.
Federal government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said: “These statements by the Chancellor speak for themselves and I would not want to comment on them here.
“But I can say that such a comparison is, of course, completely absurd.
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“The Chancellor has made climate protection a priority of this legislative period of his chancellorship and he is, of course, always ready to deal with this topic and to discuss it.”
Mr Scholz was discussing the old coal jobs that were lost because of the green transition, saying: “We have to do everything we can to make everyone feel recognized in our society.
“When we now organize our big energy transition … then the question is what we tell the mineworkers about their perspectives.”
This is when the green campaigner interrupted him by shouting “nonsense” and highlighting that the number of coal jobs lost, which amounts to less than 20,000 — is much smaller than those lost in the renewables sector.
Official data shows that over 100,000 renewable energy jobs were lost in over a decade as Germany’s domestic solar industry declined.
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