Jette Nietzard causes scandal in the Bundestag with her ACAB” sweater!

Jette Nietzard causes scandal in the Bundestag with her ACAB” sweater!

Green MP Jette Nietzard is causing a stir in the Bundestag with her clothing style. On Sunday, she appeared wearing a sweater emblazoned with “ACAB” and a baseball cap with the slogan “Eat the rich.” She posted this outfit on Instagram and asked what she thought was worse: the sweater or the cap. The phrase “ACAB,” which stands for “All Cops Are Bastards,” is widely understood as a blatant insult to police officers, while “Eat the Rich” is a criticism of social inequality and the rich. The President of the Bundestag, Julia Klöckner, reacted immediately to Nietzard's provocative appearance and wrote a corresponding letter.

In her letter, Klöckner made it clear that such clothing violated the Bundestag's house rules. Even the director of the Bundestag, Paul Göttke, supported this position by emphasizing responsibility towards the Bundestag police officers and pointing out to Nietzard that the political message of their outfit was unacceptable. If she commits any further offenses of this kind, she will face consequences ranging from a fine to the loss of her house ID card if she repeatedly violates the regulations.

Reactions to Nietzard's outfits

The reactions to Nietzard's appearance show the complex tensions within the political landscape. The Greens distanced themselves from her, and prominent party members such as Cem Özdemir and Winfried Kretschmann are said to have even suggested that she leave the party. Nevertheless, Nietzard remains calm and assures that she will remain in office until October and would like to continue to lead the Green Youth. She considers an apology to be excessive and reiterates her system-critical stance towards the police.

These controversies are not new in the Bundestag. In the past, different clothing styles caused debates about appropriateness in the political space. For example, Tessa Ganserer (Greens) was criticized in 2022 for her transparent top, while other MPs in the past violated the house rules, which prohibit expressions of opinion in this form, because of printed T-shirts. Although the Bundestag does not have a fixed dress code, members are required to maintain the dignity of the house and avoid such provocative messages.

Another scandal in the political world

The Nietzard incident is part of a larger discussion about clothing style and political messages. In 2010, for example, members of the Left were expelled from the plenary hall when they protested against the “Stuttgart 21” railway project, and the requirement for male secretaries to wear a tie was also abolished in 2014. There were similarly spectacular moments at other political appearances, such as that of Angela Merkel, who first appeared in the Bundestag wearing trousers and ultimately helped shape a change in clothing norms.

In summary, it becomes clear that Nietzard's controversial choice of clothing not only reflects her personal political concept, but also holds a mirror up to the public. The debate about appropriate clothing in the Bundestag is a multi-faceted topic that repeatedly leads to arguments. It remains to be seen whether Nietzard's style will prevail in the long term or whether it will go down as another scandal in the history of the Bundestag.

For more information on this topic, see reports from vienna.at, derwesten.de and das-parlament.de.