By Stephen Peter
First tears, trouble and tumult – now reconciliation? Surprising turnaround after the momentous dispute in the Lichtenberg district parliament. The alleged victim allies with city councilor Kevin Hönicke (38, SPD)!
On Thursday evening last week, the Lichtenberg district assembly (BVV) was a hot one: Hönicke was mobbed by the representative of a local residents’ initiative, later quarreled with BVV director Kerstin Zimmer (51, left) – because she interrupted him during his speech. In doing so, she violated the Rules of Procedure.
Afterwards, he threateningly stood in front of her and yelled at her, district parliamentarians who were later present reported. Zimmer was so shocked by Hönicke’s behavior that she went home crying.
BVV President Kerstin Zimmer (left) Photo: Parvets
Everything is not true – the two opponents now surprisingly claim. On Monday evening, both met in the Lichtenberg town hall and wrote a joint statement. Zimmer: “At no point did Mr. Hönicke yell at me. It’s wrong that I burst into tears because of Mr. Hönicke and left the room.” She was tense because of other events and wanted to go outside “just to take a deep breath”.
Then everything escalated, according to the left-wing politician. Reason: “False assumptions justified by third parties,” she writes. Whom she means by that – her own faction. A little later, she claimed that Hönicke had “barked and yelled at Zimmer”. According to Antonio Leonhardt (28, left), there was “a threatening situation”.
The following day, the Left faction even sent out a press release, indirectly demanding Hönicke’s resignation. Reason: He did not control himself, was “not up to the continuation of official business”. However: Zimmer does not have a say in this press release, nor was it discussed with her! So was the tear drama a left-wing number?
Hönicke is still contrite in the statement on Monday evening: “I apologize in all forms to Ms. Zimmer for my improper tone,” he writes. With her he had “clarified everything sustainably”.
Zimmer conciliatory: “Mr. Hönicke and I have always treated each other as equals and there was no disrespectful behavior between us.“