Baden-Württemberg | MeToo reaches Boris Palmer

Boris Palmer is said to have had erotic chats with a former local councilor. Photo: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa Things had recently become quieter around Boris Palmer, which is probably also due to the fortunate fact that he discovered AI for himself. Before he posts his opinion to the world via social media, he recently revealed, he lets Chat GPT check it again to see whether he's going overboard. This is how Tübingen's mayor has avoided many a shitstorm.

Only occasionally do the horses run wild with him in public. For example, when he commented on Facebook about an e-scooter driver who had parked his device improperly. “You first have to manage to completely block both a garage entrance and the sidewalk. Congratulations. Are brain amputees actually allowed to use scooters like this?”

Now Palmer is back in the headlines. A former local councilor has made serious allegations against him. In a 17-page paper, she describes an affair with the mayor and accuses him of "sexual assault" and "emotional abuse." She also published chats in which she confronted him with the allegations. The Tübingen public prosecutor's office is examining the case. There is an advertisement. Palmer rejects the allegations as baseless and announced that he would consider legal action. He asked the media to respect his privacy. Excerpts from the chats with Palmer and the letter from those affected are available to the “nd”.

Controversies have accompanied the 54-year-old for years. His public outbursts reveal a mixture of boorishness and Swabian bourgeoisie that has made him a political oddball. He has long since fallen out with the Greens and left the party in 2023. In Tübingen he was elected mayor as a non-party. Because his unconventional nature is closely linked to his political talent: Palmer stubbornly questions what seems self-evident but does not have to be without alternative.

This also brought him close to the black-green state government. There he advised his friend Prime Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) on questions about reducing bureaucracy. At least so far. At the request of the state government, he is giving up his voluntary work for the time being.

The Greens are likely to follow the allegations closely. Recently there was another cautious approach to the Tübingen town hall boss. Özdemir had stated that he would like Palmer to find a way back into the party. Palmer himself had also shown himself open to returning.

The first consequence shows how serious the situation is for Palmer. Because of the allegations that have become public, Palmer's comedy performance at the Tübingen Sudhaus cultural center is canceled on Thursday evening. The organizer canceled the show. Palmer was supposed to talk about his experiences with the bureaucracy there.

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