German politician regrets 'pogrom' comment

Christian Wulff, from Merkel's party likeed criticism of executives' high salaries to a pogrom against them.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A politician in Chancellor Angela Merkel's party apologized Friday for likening criticism of executives' high salaries to a pogrom against them - just days before Germany commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Nazi's Kristallnacht pogrom against the Jews. Christian Wulff, the governor of Lower Saxony and deputy leader of Merkel's Christian Democratic Party, made the comments late Thursday during a TV debate on whether high pay for executives was appropriate. He said that "if someone pays 40 million euros tax as a person and guarantees tens of thousands of jobs, then a pogrom atmosphere should not develop against them here." Germany on Sunday marks the 70th anniversary of the Nazi's 1938 "Kristallnacht" pogrom against the Jews, when synagogues, Jewish homes and businesses across Germany were attacked, looted and some 30,000 Jewish males arrested. On Friday, Wulff said he "regrets the use of 'pogrom atmosphere,"' and apologized. "Nothing can be, or be permitted to be compared to the persecution of the Jews and the horrible pogroms against the Jews," he said. The comments drew immediate criticism from the Jewish community and other politicians. Opposition Left Party member Gesine Loetzsch said Wulff's remark was "absurd, tasteless and unacceptable." The Central Council of Jews said the comment raised questions about Wulff's ability to lead. "I don't want to over-dramatize this incident, but one must question if he is capable of his job as governor," the council's general secretary, Stephan Kramer, told Der Spiegel magazine's online edition. Thursday's TV debate had been hosted by Michel Friedman, formerly the deputy head of Germany's Central Council of Jews.