The allegations against Chancellor Olaf Scholz are serious: According to a newspaper clipping that was circulated in March 2022 , he is said to have said in an interview with “Time,” among other things, that the opinion of the people should not be taken too seriously and a war by Germany against Russia is conceivable within the framework of European interests. But is everything really as it seems? Or is it rather a misinterpretation and distortion of the facts? It's this picture that's currently making the rounds again:

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Screenshot: Facebook

Fact check: Scholz's statements vs. allegations in the letter to the editor

Let's compare the claims in the letter to the editor with Scholz's actual statements.

ClaimsFact check
Olaf Scholz would not take the people's opinion seriously.Partly true: Scholz emphasizes that he listens to people's opinions, but does not always act strictly according to opinion polls.
Olaf Scholz is considering a war between Germany and Russia.Wrong: Scholz never mentioned a war against Russia. He emphasizes Germany's responsibility to secure peace and the need to think beyond national interests.
Olaf Scholz would ignore the people's wishes.Wrong: Scholz talks about how, although he listens to the people, he doesn't always do exactly what they suggest because he has been commissioned by the people to act based on what he believes is right for the country.
Olaf Scholz prioritizes European solutions over national interests.Partly true: Scholz emphasizes that Germany must learn to think beyond itself in order to find European solutions that are good for everyone, and not just for its own country. However, this does not mean that national interests are neglected.
Olaf Scholz rejects democratic principles.Wrong: Scholz emphasizes Germany's historic responsibility to secure peace, which shows that he supports the democratic principles of peace and cooperation.

The origin of the allegations: A letter to the editor

The quote that weighs so heavily on Scholz does not come from a journalistic article, but from a letter to the editor .

Note: Letters to the editor are published in newspapers without being checked for correctness of content. These are the opinions and interpretations of readers, not confirmed facts. It was precisely these circumstances that led to Scholz's quote being taken out of context and misinterpreted.

What did Olaf Scholz really say?

To shed some light on the matter, let’s look at Scholz’s original quotes in the “Time” interview. Regarding the opinion of the people, Scholz expressed himself as follows:

“He believes that the German people have asked him to lead a government based on what he believes is right for the country - and not on what the polls say. “If you are a good leader,” says Scholz, “then you listen to people, but you never believe that they really want you to do exactly what they suggest.”

Referring to European solutions and the possible conflict with Russia, Scholz said:

Scholz's idea of ​​where the nation should go is, of course, shaped by where it has been. “Living in Germany, you can't go away from the disasters of the first half of the 20th century, which were caused by Germany. It is in all the things we do politically, and it is in my mind too because we have a historic responsibility to help secure peace.” For Germany, that means learning to think beyond itself to the broader collective. “We should be the nation that is willing to find the European solutions that are good for all, not just for our country.”

“Scholz's idea of ​​where the nation should go is of course also shaped by where it has been. “If you live in Germany, you cannot distance yourself from the catastrophes of the first half of the 20th century that were caused by Germany. This shapes our entire political actions, and it also shapes me, because we have a historical responsibility to help secure peace.” For Germany, this means that it has to learn to think beyond itself and towards the bigger picture focus. “We should be the nation that is ready to find the European solutions that are good for everyone, not just our country.”

When it comes to political action, Germany should not only think about itself, but should think in a European way. However, Scholz never said or suggested that Germany would therefore go to war against Russia.

Conclusion: misleading claims and the risk of misinterpretation

The claims in the letter to the editor, which insinuate that Scholz does not take the people seriously and is considering war against Russia, are misleading and do not accurately reflect the Chancellor's actual statements. Scholz emphasized the importance of dialogue with the population and underlined Germany's responsibility to help secure peace. It shows once again how important it is to examine claims and check their truth in order to avoid misinformation.

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )