Markus Nierth

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Markus Nierth (born February 9, 1969 in Eisleben ) is a German Protestant theologian , funeral orator and local councilor who gained national fame in connection with the conflicts over refugee accommodation in Tröglitz .

Life

Nierth grew up from 1969 to 1980 in Schraplau and from 1980 to 1986 in Weißenfels . His father, Wolfram Nierth, was a pastor and superintendent and in 1976 the main initiator of the Querfurt paper . At the age of 16, he moved with his parents from the GDR to Hofheim am Taunus and, after graduating from high school in 1989, studied Protestant theology at the Lutheran Theological University in Oberursel and at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen . He wanted to be pastor of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau . From 1997 to 1999 he completed his vicariate in Rimbach (Odenwald) . Because of poor chances of finding a pastor's position, he went to Tröglitz in Saxony-Anhalt in 1999 to build up Protestant communities in the former GDR with donations. He earned his living as a freelance funeral orator . Nierth has been married for the second time since 2009.

From 2009 to 2015 he was honorary mayor of Tröglitz. In March 2015, he resigned when a demonstration organized by the NPD was supposed to pass his house and he could no longer see the safety of his family guaranteed because the assembly authorities did not want to impose any restrictions on the demonstration route. Despite openly expressed concerns, Nierth campaigned for the accommodation of refugees in Tröglitz, provided private living space after the fire in the planned asylum accommodation on April 4, 2015 and thus resisted xenophobic citizens and NPD activists.

Politics and Resignation

The non-party theologian Markus Nierth, who was nominated for office by the CDU, was mayor for five and a half years and openly campaigned for the accommodation of 40 refugees in Tröglitz. As a result, xenophobic Tröglitz citizens, NPD members (NPD district Burgenland) and circles close to them ran protest marches through the village every Sunday from January 2015. The “Sunday walks” were registered by NPD District Councilor Steffen Thiel (* 1976). Nierth then invited to the Sunday prayer for peace in his church to set an example for cosmopolitanism in Tröglitz. When, at the tenth xenophobic demonstration, the final rally of the march according to NPD plans was to be held in front of Markus Nierth's private house and he received very little backing from the citizenry and also did not feel sufficient support from the Burgenland district , he was unable to To continue office. Nierth saw himself left alone by the district (District Administrator Götz Ulrich ) and by the parties as well as by the neighborhood. He told the dpa : “My wife and I became a personal target.” Nevertheless, Nierth repeatedly emphasized that Tröglitz was not a radical place, but the social structures were missing. The fact that 40 asylum seekers were to be accommodated in the place should have been prepared differently.

The district council reaffirmed the plan in March and a majority voted in favor of accepting asylum seekers in Tröglitz. District Administrator Götz Ulrich saw this as a “signal” that one should not give in to demonstrations organized by the NPD. There are now four families in private apartments in Tröglitz. Markus Nierth and his family are sponsoring three Afghan families and continue to be hostile to his commitment. He has processed his experiences together with Juliane Streich in the book: Dangerous for fire - How the silence of the middle strengthens the right. Experiences of a resigned local mayor , Chr. Links Verlag, Berlin 2016.

Reactions

The case from the small town in Saxony-Anhalt attracted nationwide attention. SPD general secretary Yasmin Fahimi said the case of mayor Markus Nierth moved her and she understood the concern he was about his family. Fahimi: "And I understand the desperation that Nierth felt in view of the inaction of the authorities, who have apparently done too little against the right-wing extremist activities in the place." I campaigned for minorities and stood in the way of neo-Nazis. Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) regretted Nierth's resignation as local mayor.

On April 22nd, 2017, Susanna and Markus Nierth were awarded the “ The Intrepid Word ” prize by the Federation of Luther Cities .

plant

  • Markus Nierth, Juliane Streich: Dangerous for fire: How the silence of the middle makes the right strong - experiences of a resigned local mayor, Ch. Links Verlag , Berlin 2016, ISBN 978-3-86153-909-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nominations ( memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the village of Tröglitz for the local council election on May 25, 2014 (PDF document) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gemeinde-elsteraue.de
  2. ^ Nierth bei Südwestpresse (based on epd) of March 21, 2015
  3. ↑ Tröglitz: The vast majority is silent , article on Zeit.de from March 11, 2015
  4. ↑ a b After hostility from right-wing extremists - local mayor of Tröglitz resigns ( Memento from March 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), MDR Saxony-Anhalt, March 9, 2015
  5. ↑ Mayor resigns due to NPD demo , sueddeutsche.de, March 9, 2015
  6. ^ Resignation because of NPD demo: "I was sacrificed as mayor" , Spiegel Online, March 9, 2015
  7. ↑ a b Politicians outraged after mayor's resignation ( memento from March 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), on tagesschau.de from March 10, 2015
  8. ↑ MDR SACHSEN-ANHALT HEUTE from October 2, 2015 ( Memento of the original from October 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (from 3.23 min) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mdr.de
  9. ↑ Thomas Gerlach: Everyday racism in Tröglitz: Sharing makes you rich. In: taz.de . March 3, 2016, accessed March 11, 2016 .
  10. ↑ Mitteldeutsche Zeitung of March 9, 2015: "Stahlknecht is afraid of imitators"
  11. ↑ Award for the Tröglitz couple Nierth: "The life of an entire family has changed". (Not available online.) In: mdr.de . April 22, 2017, archived from the original on July 10, 2017 ; Retrieved May 25, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mdr.de
personal data
SURNAME Nierth, Markus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Protestant theologian and local politician
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Eisleben