Greens Announce Motion of No Confidence Against Education Senator Günther-Wünsch

The Berlin state parliament's Green Party has announced plans to introduce a motion of no confidence against Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch. This decision will be formally presented on Thursday, according to the party's official statement.

The Greens have accused the senator, a member of the CDU, of providing misleading information regarding the timing of her receipt of a letter from an attorney representing the Berlin teacher Oziel Inácio-Stech. The teacher has claimed to have faced bullying at his school due to his sexual orientation.

In a recent escalation of their critique, Green Party leaders Bettina Jarasch and Louis Krüger emphasized the seriousness of the situation, arguing that the senator's statements had significant implications for the evaluation of discrimination and bullying incidents within the educational context. They noted that the senator had incorrectly denied personal responsibility in this matter, a claim that has since been demonstrated as erroneous.

According to the Greens, the parliament serves as the representative body of the citizens of Berlin and is responsible for exercising oversight over the government and its members. They asserted that, under constitutional obligations, officials must provide comprehensive and truthful accounts to the parliament.

The party has called for an apology from Günther-Wünsch, stating that delivering false or misleading information constitutes a violation of her constitutional duties. They expect her to address the parliament directly to clarify her statements.

Günther-Wünsch recently amended her previous statements concerning a detailed complaint submitted by the attorney last December. She acknowledged that she had received the letter much earlier than she had previously indicated, asserting that an internal review had led to her misunderstanding. Initially, she had claimed to have only read the correspondence in May of the current year.

In her explanation, the senator expressed regret for the inaccuracies in her statements made during a committee meeting and in a parliamentary session earlier this month. She clarified that the letter was not documented in the electronic postal log, which contributed to her confusion regarding its receipt.

The teacher involved reported being subjected to months of verbal abuse and bullying from students, particularly those from Muslim families, and has also raised concerns about harassment and false allegations from a colleague.