The German foreign ministry has deleted a poem published in its internal magazine InternAA due to its satirical content.
The 32-line poem, titled Ken & Barbie, is a thinly veiled critique of the policy of former Greens party foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and her party comrade, former German vice chancellor Robert Habeck.
The poem alludes to topics such as the Greens fight against gas and oil-fired heating systems (“Heating off, pullover on”); and Habeck’s past as an author of children’s books (“A bogeyman on the rise, politics just like a bad book”). Baerbock’s excessive spending on stylists and make-up artists is also alluded to (“Around the world with high-gloss makeup, hair always perfectly weaved”).
The poem made light of Baerbock’s new job as President of the United Nations General Assembly for which, in April last year, she pushed aside Helga Schmid, the German diplomat who was originally promised the role:
“And so she leaves her homeland and nation,
For the Big Apple, what a celebration,
A job swindled, how elegant,
The people rejoice, now she is banned.”
According to newspaper Bild today, the piece was originally published in the January 2026 edition of InternAA, an online magazine for the employees of the foreign ministry.
According to the byline it was composed in April 2025 by an unknown author who used the alias “SIGGIG”.
As Bild reported, the poem caused quite a stir at the ministry – many of whose employees were likely recruited during Baerbock’s term of office as foreign minister from 2021 to 2025.
It was quickly deleted. In its place readers of the magazine now find an apology note that reads: “We have made an unfortunate mistake here. There was originally a poem at this point. It appeared even though the editors of InternAA had already decided in June 2025 not to publish it.”
A spokesperson for the foreign ministry told Brussels Signal today that the ministry would not comment on the content of the magazine, adding: “InternAA is a purely internal magazine produced by members of the Foreign Service for members of the Foreign Service. The InternAA editorial team makes independent decisions about the magazine’s content.”
Critics are now accusing the ministry of applying double standards.
In an editorial for newspaper Berliner Zeitung, author Harald Neuber pointed out that under Baerbock the foreign ministry’s official X account had published posts mocking US Republicans. He added that the Greens party had rushed to defend state TV comedian Jan Böhmermann when he accused Turkish President Recep Erdoğan of having intercourse with goats in a satirical poem of his own.
“[There is] an asymmetry that has characterised German politics for years: There is satire that is considered courageous, and satire that is prosecuted as hate speech.
“The distinction is not based on whether something is funny or tasteless, but on who it affects,” Neuber concluded.
