16 April 2007
A German state governor criticized for eulogizing his controversial predecessor behavior during World War II, has issued a guarded apology for his remarks made at a funeral ceremony. Günther Oettinger, state premier of Baden-Württemberg, had called his predecessor, Hans Filbinger, an opponent of the Nazi regime despite the fact that as a navy judge and prosecutor, the latter took part in court cases that ended with several death sentences. Despite condemnation by historians and pressure from political leaders, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, it took Oettinger three days to issue a partial apology. He told the ‘Bild’ newspaper: “It was never my intention to hurt victims [of the Nazis] and those persecuted. If that happened, I am sorry and I apologize for that. It depresses me that I have been accused of turning Hans Filbinger into a resistance fighter. He was not, and I did never claim that he was."
However, earlier on Sunday, Oettinger said in a radio interview that he believed Filbinger had been an "opponent of the dictatorship" and not a Nazi. This in turn sparked calls for his resignation by the Central Council of Jews in Germany and political leaders. Oettinger's unwillingness to retract his claims that Filbinger was actually an opponent of Hitler's regime sparked outrage from the family of one deserter whose execution in April 1945 Filbinger had attended as the lead prosecutor. Filbinger was state premier in Baden-Württemberg from 1966 to 1978. He had to quit office after his wartime activities were revealed. At the time, Filbinger defended his actions with the words: “What was lawful then cannot be unlawful now.” Until his death on 01 April, he remained unapologetic.
