A video on youtube still keeps german government party Christian Democratic Union (CDU) under pressure, over a week after their disastrous result in the election for the European Parliament. German Youtube Star Rezo had published a video with the title “The Destruction of the CDU” a week before the elections. In 55 Minutes he confronts the christian democrats with facts about global warming and climate change. He criticizes the party of ignoring these facts and squandering the future of young people. The CDU would make politics for the interests of the big business while time runs out to preserve the living conditions for future generations. Rezo supported his arguments with 13 sheets of facts from reliable sources.
The reaction of the CDU puts the limelight on a surprising leadership weakness in the party of chancellor Angela Merkel. Secretary general Paul Ziemiak accuses Rezo of bringing up young people against the CDU with fake news. But he gave no answer to only one of Rezo’s arguments. One thing the blue haired young man had blamed the CDU for in his video. CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer made things even worse. In a press conference she insinuated that Rezo made an illicit attempt of influencing the current opinion to damage the success of the CDU in the forthcomming EU elections. Kramp-Karrenbauer or AKK, as she is called, said rules of the analogue World have to apply to the digital world, too. Suggesting the need of stricter rules for political comments on Youtube before elections, followed by a shitstorm on social media.
A fake argument in its own right, as the german journalists association DJV criticized. Rezo didn’t break any rules for political comments in newspapers or broadcasts. The free press in Germany has to consider three prohibitions in commenting on politics: hate speech, insult and slander are forbidden. Prominent members of the CDU joined the critics of AKK. Former secretary general Ruprecht Polenz said, the CDU should see the video of Rezo as a chance to get back into discussion with adolescents, who the party has lost since the “Fridays for Future” marches. The winner of the european elections in Germany was the Green Party that gained the majority of people under 60.
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