"Not at Home Here"

After Oktoberfest Remark: Controversy Surrounding ÖVP Politician

The Oktoberfest in Munich.(Bild: EPA/ANNA SZILAGYI)

A Tyrolean ÖVP official and businessman caused a racism scandal at the Munich Oktoberfest. The man can be seen in a video that recently went viral online. In it, he insinuated to the person he was speaking with that the latter wasn’t at home here—but that the Germans were. Several statements followed.

“You don’t belong here”—these are the opening words of a video currently making the rounds on social media. It shows a Tyrolean ÖVP official arguing with a man at the Munich Oktoberfest.

“Who says that?” the man retorts. The Tyrolean then explains to him that “the Germans” are at home here. The video went viral and caused quite a stir. The entrepreneur was heavily criticized in the comments.

You can watch the video of the altercation here:

Statements Followed 
The entrepreneur in question has now spoken out himself via social media and commented on the video. He explained that he “spouted nonsense that does not reflect my values.” “I had too much to drink and said things that are absolutely unacceptable and wrong.”

At the same time, he apologized to everyone for his misconduct. As a vegetable farmer, he said, he deals with many foreign employees on a daily basis. “What I said is absolutely wrong, and I’m sorry.”

The Tyrolean vegetable farmers also issued a statement. In it, they explicitly distanced themselves from the racist remarks made. “They are unacceptable and contradict the values of our association.” Even though the businessman was attending Oktoberfest in a private capacity, this does not change the association’s clear rejection of these statements. 

The statement continues: “Respect and fair treatment of one another apply regardless of origin or nationality. People from various nations work together every day on our farms. Their dignity and their right to respectful treatment are beyond question.” The man also apologized to them for the statements he made and took responsibility for them.

Tyrol’s Deputy Governor Philip Wohlgemuth (SPÖ) also spoke out on social media. He emphasized that racism cannot be relativized under any circumstances: “Those who hold political office, in particular, bear a special responsibility for their words. Human dignity and respect are non-negotiable.” SPÖ parliamentary group chairwoman Elisabeth Fleischanderl echoed this sentiment.