German Defense Minister gives speech in the middle of the Berlin New Year’s Eve fireworks
Shitstorm after Christine Lambrecht’s New Year’s speech
There is a bang in the background, in the foreground the German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht welcomes the new year. In view of the war in Ukraine, the scenery causes a lot of excitement.
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Rockets bang in the background, in the foreground Christine Lambrecht takes stock.
The German government does not want to comment on the annual balance sheet taken by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) in the midst of the Berlin New Year’s Eve fireworks. The short video had been publicly criticized as embarrassing and inappropriate.
In view of the war in Ukraine, the setting of the video, in which Lambrecht speaks in front of exploding rockets, sparked a fierce controversy. The explosions in the background didn’t go over well with many.
Journalists also heavily criticized the performance. Vassili Golod, ARD correspondent in Ukraine, wrote: “Viewed from Kyiv, that seems almost cynical.”
No comment from the government
The German government declined to comment. “I now see no reason to evaluate this,” said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Monday in Berlin. A Defense Department spokesman said the video was privately recorded and did not use Department resources.
When asked whether the filming was an appropriate way to welcome the new year given the war in Ukraine, he said: “The words of the minister in the video speak for themselves. It’s not for me to comment on that.”
In the video distributed via Instagram, Lambrecht takes stock of the year 2022, but her words are repeatedly lost in the whistling of rockets and exploding petards. The year presented us all with incredible challenges, said Lambrecht. And: “A war is raging in the middle of Europe. And that meant a lot of special impressions for me that I was able to gain. Many, many encounters with interesting, great people.» (zis/SDA)