"Severely affected": Scholz reacts to "court jester" insult

WAZ "Severely affected": Scholz reacts to "court jester" insult Louisa Thönig • 4 hours • 2 minutes reading time Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is currently facing accusations of racism after it became known that he called Berlin's Senator for Culture Joe Chialo (CDU) a "court jester" at a private birthday party in early February. In a SPIEGEL top-level interview with Markus Feldenkirchen, the Chancellor commented on the accusations and was visibly affected by the reporting. Scholz said he was "shocked" when he learned of the accusations. "You can accuse me of anything, but certainly not of being a racist," he stressed, referring in particular to the accusation that his choice of words had racist overtones. Scholz explained that he never used the term "court jester" in reference to Chialo's skin color, but rather meant it as a metaphorical criticism of his political behavior. "Personally affected": Scholz defends himself legally against accusations of racism The Chancellor also said he was "personally very affected" by the discussion. He respects Joe Chialo and regrets if this comment was understood in a different way. Scholz assured that he never intended to make a racist comment. The statement had been taken out of context and the Chancellor would now take legal action against it. Sources close to the Chancellor said in the evening that Scholz and the Berlin Senator for Culture had spoken on the phone. Nothing was initially known about the content of the conversation.