Greens Acknowledge Missteps in Handling Gelbhaar Allegations

The leadership of the German Green Party has admitted to errors in its handling of harassment allegations against former Bundestag member Stefan Gelbhaar. In a recent statement, party officials expressed a sense of being overwhelmed, particularly in light of the upcoming federal elections.

Initially, the allegations against Gelbhaar sparked significant concern, but doubts regarding their validity soon emerged. The party's federal leadership, including co-chairs Franziska Brantner and Felix Banaszak, acknowledged the challenges faced in managing the situation, especially with the imminent electoral cycle.

On January 30, the Greens tasked former Schleswig-Holstein Justice Minister Anne Lütkes and long-serving Bundestag member Jerzy Montag with investigating the matter. Their findings, which were completed several weeks ago, have been summarized into a 25-page report, citing the need to protect personal data as the reason for not releasing the full version, which is reportedly twice as long and only accessible to the federal board.

In their statement, the federal board recognized the repercussions of their inadequate response, noting that both Gelbhaar and individuals who reported the allegations suffered as a result. The party admitted that it failed to uphold its responsibilities to all parties involved, with a particular emphasis on the organizational shortcomings that contributed to the situation.

As a consequence of the allegations, Gelbhaar lost his candidacy for the Pankow electoral district and had previously withdrawn from the nomination list for the Berlin Greens. Additionally, parts of the media coverage on the issue had to be retracted due to emerging doubts about the identity of one of the women who reported the allegations.

In light of these events, the Green Party has committed to revising its oversight structures. A working group will be established to develop new protocols, with a formal resolution anticipated at the upcoming party conference in November. Furthermore, the ombudsman process related to Gelbhaar's case will not continue.

The leadership of the Green Party's Berlin chapter, Nina Stahr and Philmon Ghirmai, announced that efforts are already underway to enhance complaint structures and support systems. A comprehensive care concept is expected to be presented this autumn.