The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has rejected an apology offered by Luigi Pantisano, the leader of The Left party, regarding statements in which he described certain politics as “fascist.”
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann asserted to “Bild” that the claim of the original statement being “oversimplified” is an outrage, adding that he would be interested in reading Pantisano’s expanded version. He declared that Pantisano’s initial comments were unequivocally clear, suggesting the appeal to “oversimplified” was merely an attempt to evade responsibility.
Linnemann strongly reiterated the CDU’s stance that The Left was “historically ignorant,” based on findings from a recent party congress. He warned that when people equate Christian Democrats with fascists, they are minimizing the horrors and atrocities of fascism. Furthermore, Linnemann labeled Pantisano as the “protagonist of the new left radical,” concluding that someone of that nature should not hold responsibility in Germany.
Pantisano had previously stated that his claim-that there was currently no difference between the policies of the CDU and the AfD-had been “oversimplified” and incorrect. He submitted the apology specifically to members of the CDU who have consistently emphasized the necessity of maintaining a clear “firewall” against the AfD.
