German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger will appear before parliament’s Education Committee next week, where she is expected to be criticized by the opposition over apparent attempts at her ministry to punish academics for public criticism.
Education Ministry leaders are under fire for their response to an open letter signed by academics in Berlin criticizing the use of police force to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from the Free University of Berlin.
Stark-Watzinger denounced those who signed the letter in harsh and controversial terms.
But leaked emails from within her ministry later revealed that a very high-level official had asked for an investigation into possible criminal charges over the open letter – and whether the ministry could cut back on the government’s research funding as a result committed academics.
These revelations sparked major public controversy, with many critics and thousands of university employees describing it as an attack on academic freedom and an apparent attempt to silence free speech.
Stark-Watzinger fired her top deputy at the ministry, who initiated the review, but denied involvement in the request for the review.
Some opposition lawmakers from the conservative CDU/CSU bloc have continued to press the issue and demand further clarification.
Thomas Jarzombek (CDU), education policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU faction, said that Stark-Watzinger’s behavior and statements had raised new questions in recent days and demanded that the minister answer questions in the committee.
On Friday, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education said Stark-Watzinger would appear before the committee on Wednesday.
