Intrigue divides party – Green Phantom overshadows German election campaign

Research by ARD broadcaster Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) shows that a Green Party district politician has made accusations of intimidation against Berlin’s Green Party member of the Bundestag, Stefan Gelbhaar, under a false identity. Gelbhaar himself had always rejected the accusations.

German Green Party leaders Franziska Brantner and Felix Banaszak threatened to initiate party expulsion proceedings if suspicions of internal party intrigue against Gelbhaar were confirmed. “The suspicion that a false statement with serious accusations has been made to the press against another party member is serious,” they said on Saturday in response to a request from the dpa and “Welt am Sonntag”.

“Anyone who makes false statements under oath in such a procedure not only commits a criminal offense when in doubt, but also causes significant damage to the reporter, the party, but also to the structures based on trust and the other reporters. ”, said the chairmen. Until the party arbitration tribunal makes a decision, the person will be “barred from exercising all membership rights,” the report said.

Doubts about the identity of the main witness
The accusations against Gelbhaar were made in December. According to the broadcaster, several women had told Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, some anonymously and some under oath, that they had been harassed by Gelbhaar. Gelbhaar has always denied all allegations. However, he decided not to run for the state list.

On Friday, the RBB withdrew parts of its reporting on the case. The public broadcaster ARD reported on its website that doubts had arisen about the identity of someone who had made such accusations. It is now clear that she was not who she claimed to be, according to the RBB. “It is very likely that this woman does not even exist.”

Channel shows Green Party politician
Further investigation led to a district politician from the Green Party, who the broadcaster knew had impersonated the person involved and filed an affidavit under a false name. RBB editor Thorsten Gabriel said in the ‘Abendschau’ that the broadcaster had filed a criminal complaint.

With the developments surrounding the main witness, the allegations against Gelbhaar are not completely off the table, Gabriel explains. “But there was at least one significant allegation that we reported on.” But there were also “other descriptions” that the channel reported on. “The identities cannot be questioned,” the editor assured. It remained unclear which accusations he was specifically referring to.

Yellowhair is confronted with the ruins of his career
The suspect sees himself as a victim of a smear campaign. In an interview with “Business Insider” published on January 9, the green transport politician emphasized that he had never deliberately harassed anyone. There are also no criminal charges against him. “No, on the contrary. I have filed a lawsuit against an unknown person for defamation.”

The political damage to him is great. In mid-November, Gelbhaar was elected as a direct candidate for the federal elections for Berlin-Pankow with 98.4 percent of the votes. In mid-December he briefly withdrew his candidacy for a place on the state list of the Berlin Greens.

On New Year’s Eve, he said in a lengthy statement on his website that the harassment allegations were lies. The trial must be “a partially planned action” with the aim of massively discrediting him. In another vote, scheduled by the Pankow County Association, state representative Julia Schneider was chosen as the direct candidate. The association is sticking to Schneider as a direct candidate, it was said on Saturday.