German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was greeted with loud boos, chants of "Climate killers" and strong calls for his resignation during his first official public appearance since the summer vacation in the stricken municipality of Hürtgenwald.
The disaster, which burned between 300 and 400 hectares of forest in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, was declared by local authorities as the largest forest fire in the history of the region. Although the fire was finally extinguished on Friday, the arrival of the Federal Chancellor a day later caused widespread discontent among the local population, who accused the government in Berlin of complete abdication during the crisis.
During his brief address to the local fire brigade in Hürtgenwald, Scholz tried to thank the thousands of volunteers and rescuers, but his words were drowned out by a loud Pfeifkonzert (whistle concert) and wild cheers. The German Chancellor reacted sharply to the protesters, saying: “I am not impressed by those who only shout. I talk to those who work and who help on the ground.“ He further acknowledged that the country's increasing frequency of extreme weather events is a direct consequence of global warming and called for better coordination between federal authorities, states and municipalities.
The political tension surrounding the visit increased as no federal government representative visited the disaster area during the active rescue operations, while the state premier Hendrik Wüst immediately interrupted his vacation to go to the scene. Opposition parties in the Bundestag immediately criticized Scholz for his lack of leadership at a critical moment, while chancellor spokespeople defended themselves by arguing that "a chancellor is never completely on vacation" and that he had been in constant contact with his cabinet. Climate adaptation and improving emergency communication links in crises are expected to be the main topics during the upcoming meeting of the German cabinet at Neuhardenberg Castle in eastern Brandenburg.