German politician resigns over St Pauli sex doll social media post
A politician from Delmenhorst in north west Germany has been forced to resign after publishing a photo on his Facebook account in which a sex doll dressed in a St Pauli shirt was shown with a noose around its neck, hanging from a gallows and with a Nazi symbol drawn on its forehead.
The photograph, which has since been deleted, was posted in a private group by a member of the Christian Democrats Union (CDU).
The phrase "Scheiss St Pauli" was written on the doll's forehead, but with the letters styled to recall the symbol used by the Schutzstaffel — the SS – the paramilitary organisation which served as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard.
The symbol is among many from the Nazi era that is banned in Germany and the public prosecutor's office in Oldenberg has confirmed that a criminal complaint has been received. According to a statement released on Friday, the prosecutor's office "has not yet decided whether to open an investigation".
Bülent Büyükbayram, 50, has resigned from all public offices and written to St Pauli to apologise. In an interview with German tabloid Bild , he said: "It was a stupid thing, a mistake. I'm currently receiving severe threats. I've withdrawn from the public eye and apologized to St. Pauli."
The CDU are a major centre-right party in Germany and currently the second largest in the Bundestag. Commenting, a party spokesperson said that "we distance ourselves from any form of discrimination, glorification of violence and extremist symbolism".
Confirming the resignation of the party member, Daniel Kaszanics, managing director for the Oldenburg CDU regional association, confirmed that "the person concerned has left the party today and is no longer a member of the CDU".
Oke Gottlich, president of St Pauli, currently in the German Bundesliga, issued a statement: "Slogans can be incendiary devices, so such actions should be taken very seriously. We are examining legal steps for all possible criminal offenses, but also assume that the use of SS runes will be prosecuted anyway."
Patrick Gensing, club spokesman, told The Athletic: "At FC St. Pauli, we are used to a lot when it comes to insults on social media. But the fact that a local politician who appears publicly for a democratic party posts such a picture is disturbing and an indication of a complete brutalization of the political discourse."
