Power outage in southwest Berlin, Germany due to arson by far-left group
Mayor discovered playing tennis with lover during power outage
“One hour of tennis could be an obstacle to reappointment.”
While the German capital, Berlin, was in trouble due to arson by a left-wing extremist group, the mayor of Berlin came into the spotlight after it was revealed that he played tennis during a power outage. On the 8th (local time), Yonhap News quoted Germany’s RBB broadcasting as reporting, “Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner played tennis outside Berlin for an hour from 1 p.m. on the 3rd when the power outage occurred.”
There is controversy after it was revealed that Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner played tennis outside Berlin for an hour starting at 1pm on the 3rd when a power outage occurred. EPAYonhap News
This power outage began at 6:40 a.m. on the 3rd. Berlin’s electricity authority announced at 12:46 p.m., just before Mayor Wegner played tennis, that “the timing of power supply resumption is unknown.” Even after hearing the report of a power outage, the tennis schedule went ahead. On the first day of this power outage, electricity was cut off to about 45,000 households in southwest Berlin, but all power was restored around 2 p.m. on the 7th, the fifth day.
The problem became bigger due to Mayor Wegner’s false explanation. When asked by the press why he did not show up at the scene, he said, “I coordinated my work in the office space at home all day.” However, when the location and time of tennis were reported in the media, he changed his statement, saying, “I wanted to cool off.” He also said, “I could be contacted by cell phone even on the tennis court.”
The tennis opponent was known to be Mayor Wegner’s lover and Berlin Education Minister Katharina Günterbünsch. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Green Party, and the Left Party all called on Mayor Wegner to resign due to the tennis scandal involving the mayor and a couple of ministers from the centrist-conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU).
Mayor Wegner is seeking a second term in the September city council election to form a new government in Berlin. Accordingly, the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) commented, “There is a high possibility that one hour of tennis will be recorded as a political blackout in Wegner’s career,” and “it is a gift to the opposing camp.”
People stand in front of a fire station during a power outage in southwest Berlin, Germany, on the 3rd (local time). AP Yonhap News
The power outage occurred when a high-voltage transmission cable connected to the Richterfelde combined heat and power plant in southwest Berlin caught fire. Electricity was cut off, public transportation and cell phone communication were paralyzed, and as temperatures dropped to nearly -10 degrees Celsius every day, citizens were forced to stay in temporary evacuation facilities such as gyms. According to local media, electricity was cut off for the longest time since World War II.
The far-left group ‘Vulkangruppe’ said in a statement after the fire, “The fossil fuel economy, not a power outage, was the goal of this action,” and “The attack on the gas power plant was self-defense and international solidarity for all who protect the earth and life.” He also said, “I apologize to those who are less well-off,” but added, “I have little sympathy for the many people who own mansions in this area.” It is said that the southwestern part of Berlin was targeted for the crime because it was a wealthy area.
According to Yonhap News, the Vulkangrupe is suspected of having set fires to public facilities, including railroads and power transmission facilities, in Berlin and nearby areas twelve times since the first arson in 2011. In 2024, a transmission tower near the Tesla factory near Berlin was also attacked by arson, causing the Tesla factory to stop operating for a week. This group is said to have confessed to its crimes through left-wing Internet media and has been publishing anti-capital, anti-technology, and anti-imperialist messages. German federal prosecutors are investigating the Vulkangruppe on terrorism charges.
Reporter Kim Seong-wook abc123@asiae.co.kr
