Geraldine Rauch, President of the Technische Universität Berlin, was removed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz from her position as an adviser in the “Future Council,” according to the German newspaper Bild, last week.
This comes amid heavy criticism of Rauch after she had liked a series of antisemitic posts on social media earlier in May, according to the newspaper.
The government's Deputy Spokesperson, Christiane Hoffmann, quoted the newspaper as saying, "From the Chancellor's point of view, the allegations against her are serious and have not yet been resolved.”
Following the backlash, Bild stated that Raunch apologized for the likes on social media.
According to Ynet, in May, following pro-Palestinian protests on the Berlin campus, Rauch affirmed the university's intolerance for antisemitism of any kind and the establishment's commitment to support both Jewish and Palestinian students whose family members had died in the war.
Rauch's position as president questioned
The Bild reported that the allegations against her have questioned her position as president of the Technical University. Last week, the university senate held a vote regarding Rauch’s role as president, with the majority of her colleagues (13 out of 25) believing she should resign.
However, implementing such a move would require a two-thirds majority, and Rauch has retained a position as such, the newspaper noted.