The German state of Bavaria has banned a Marxist climate activist from working as a schoolteacher. The Bavarian Ministry of Culture informed 28-year-old Lisa Poettinger in an official letter that she would not be allowed to start the mandatory traineeship (Referendariat) future teachers at German primary and middle schools because her activities in “extremist organisations” were incompatible with the duties of a public servant.
Poettinger has recently finished her studies fo English, ethics, and German as a second language at a university in Munich. A self-described “Marxist”, she is also a prominent climate activist who took part in violent protests against coal mining and the international car fair IAA as a member of the activist group “Open Anti-Capitalist Climate Meeting Munich”.
Poettinger is currently the subject of several court proceedings. She is accused of resistance against and physical assault of law enforcement officials, according to media reports. Poettinger also co-organised mass protests against the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and is accused of tearing down AfD posters.
In the letter as quoted by a German newspaper the ministry writes that it has to make sure that a future schoolteacher is on the side of the liberal-democratic order. “Teachers must also behave in a manner that does not jeopardise the reputation of their profession or the public’s trust in the conduct of their office when they are off duty”, the statement continues.
While Poettinger has not been convicted of any crime so far, the Ministry writes that the legal presumption of innocence until guilt is proven did not mean there was a corresponding “presumption of civil service suitability”. Poettinger has reportedly not shown remorse for her alleged misdeeds, but even justified them as part of her fight against climate change and “inhuman ideologies” vis-à-vis the ministry.
The ministry also criticised Poettinger over her use of the term “profit maximisation” which according to the letter “can be attributed to the concepts of communist ideology which is not compatible with the free democratic order”.
Poettinger said she would fight the decision. “I will not be intimidated. There are many great people standing next to me who also disagree with the sale of our livelihoods and are fighting back”, she wrote on Twitter/X.
German authorities started routinely screening applicants for public sector positions for their loyalty to the constitution in the 1970s and 1980s. After the so-called “Radicals Decree” of 1972, more than 1,200 teachers and university professors were excluded from civil servant careers, mainly due to left-wing extremist activities. However, these tests were largely stopped in the early 1990s. Bavaria is governed by a coalition between the conservative CSU and the centre-right Free Voters. The Culture Ministry is headed by Anna Stolz (Free Voters).
