A planned visit by Bavarian Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger to Essen has sparked controversy after a local restaurant refused to host his event. The politician still plans to visit the city’s struggling center.
(Source: IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Hafner/imago)
Restaurant cancels event, citing concerns
The upcoming visit of Hubert Aiwanger, the Bavarian Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Free Voters party, to Essen has caused a stir. Aiwanger was scheduled to attend an event on Friday, September 6, which included a discussion on security policy with Manuel Ostermann, Deputy Federal Chairman of the German Police Union. The event was initially set to take place at the restaurant “Der Löwe” on Kopstadtplatz following a tour of the Essen city center.
However, the event faced a sudden change when restaurant owner Lars Becker canceled the reservation. Becker explained that he wanted to “stay as far away from the fringes as possible” and couldn’t predict how the event would unfold. Speaking with the newspaper WAZ, Becker distanced himself from the event, stating, “I live and work in downtown Essen, and I don’t need a Bavarian farmer from the village telling me what’s going on here.”
New venue secured, visit to proceed
The Essen Citizens’ Alliance (EBB), which had invited Aiwanger, quickly responded to the cancellation. In a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, the EBB reassured supporters that the event would still take place and that Aiwanger would indeed visit downtown Essen. The alliance announced that a new venue had already been secured.
According to the EBB, Aiwanger’s visit is linked to the “political debate on changes to gun laws.” The Free Voters leader aims to assess the state of Essen’s city center, which the EBB describes as being plagued by “drug trafficking, clan structures, and the decline of retail.”
