Geraldine Rauch, President of the Technical University of Berlin, is under intense scrutiny in Germany following her “likes” on posts related to the Gaza war on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
According to media reports, Rauch liked posts describing the Gaza war as genocide and labelling Israel as a war criminal.
Additionally, she liked images showing protesters holding a picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a swastika drawn on it.
The post indicated that these images depicted Turkish demonstrators calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Rauch has since apologized for liking these posts.
In response, German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger told the “Rheinische Post” on Friday, “There must be no place for hatred against Israel and Jews in our universities.”
She emphasized that university administrations bear a special responsibility to set an example, affirming that “universities are not places devoid of the rule of law.”
The specialized committees at the Technical University of Berlin are expected to decide next week whether to remove Rauch from her position due to her actions on social media.
Lars Oeverdieck, the university’s chancellor, stated to “Berlin Brandenburg” radio that the issue is being discussed and negotiated within the university’s autonomous committees, with meetings set to begin next week.
Oeverdieck explained that the responsible committee is the “Extended Academic Senate,” which elected Rauch two years ago and has the authority to remove her. He noted, “This matter will be discussed there.”
The health ministry in Gaza reported Thursday that over 36,224 people have been killed during more than seven months of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants.
This toll includes at least 53 deaths in the past 24 hours alone. Additionally, 81,777 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, following an attack by Hamas militants on Israel.
