German professor convicted for book on national identity

The Federal Administrative Court has upheld disciplinary measures against intelligence professor Martin Wagener for a controversial passage in his book Kulturkampf um das Volk (Culture War for the People), in which he referred to soccer players Özil, Gündoğan, and Can as “Turks with German passports,” reports European Conservative.

In the court's view, he violated the ethics of a civil servant and undermined confidence in his work as a lecturer at the BND Academy. The BND therefore reduced his salary by 10 percent for two years and revoked his security clearance.

Although the court classified the rest of the book as a legitimate academic contribution to the debate on national identity, the case sparked a heated discussion about the limits of freedom of expression.

Wagner's remarks about soccer players of Turkish origin reflect reality, and his questions about identity are legitimate. Mesut Özil recently joined Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AKP party, years after he left the German national team in protest.

(mja)