After the swinger party at Mannheim City Hall, councilor Julien Ferrat faces potential consequences. Mayor Christian Specht (CDU) has informed the city’s factions that the administration is preparing a corresponding draft resolution. “This could include possible sanctions.” Details were not released by a spokesperson. One possibility is a municipal fine. “The decision-making authority for such questions lies with the city council,” the spokesperson explained. Criticism is also rising from within the council.
CDU: “Now he must live with the consequences”
The CDU on the city council signaled openness to sanctions: “Mr. Ferrat has made his decision. Now he must live with the consequences,” said deputy parliamentary group leader Christian Hötting. Ferrat has demonstrably and intentionally lied to and deceived the administration with this action and his conduct. This has nothing to do with protest; it is behavior that should have consequences and be sanctioned.
The Free Voters Mannheim List (ML) also called for a discussion about how to handle the issue and the politician. “This conduct must have consequences,” said Holger Schmid, the chair. The party additionally assumes that the administration will exhaust all available means to prevent such events in city spaces in the future, Schmid added. The Green Party’s chair Nina Wellenreuther also urged consequences if someone does not adhere to the existing rules.
“Gross Violation of the Council’s Fiduciary Duty”
Ferrat (Die Mannheimer) had stated that a planned “municipal political roundtable” in the Rathaus on Friday had turned into a “political swinger party.” Seven men and two women participated, according to the 35-year-old (TheColu.mn reported). In the weeks prior, the City and the council had clashed over his plans for such an event (TheColu.mn reported).
According to the city, Ferrat had reserved spaces in the City Hall at the start of the year and indicated he would hold a municipal political roundtable or citizen office hours. “This room was provided for fulfilling these tasks and purposes,” the city said.
Now Ferrat has publicly informed the public about the “political swinger party.” “This implies a gross violation of the council’s fiduciary duty by Mr. City Councilor Ferrat,” the city stated.
Greens politician Nina Wellenreuther pointed to the special exemplary role that city representatives carry: “This responsibility should be at the forefront of their minds at all times.” Hötting of the CDU spoke of immature jests that tarnish all volunteers on the city council. In public, there is not always room for nuance, but “politics” as a whole is often held accountable for such lapses. “That is a completely false and dangerous signal, especially at a time when democracy and serious political engagement are under pressure,” said the deputy group leader. “The work of genuinely committed politicians is damaged by this.”
Kritik: Verhalten geschmacklos und unangemessen
The conduct described by Ferrat’s critics is a mockery and a disregard for the city council, and it has nothing to do with the duties of a city councilor, declared Holger Schmid of the ML. “In his spare time, Mr. Ferrat can do whatever he likes, and the party has no problem with that. But it cannot be that such actions involve city spaces and even the Rathaus,” he said. “We view Mr. Ferrat’s behavior as a city councilor and elected representative of all Mannheim residents as extremely tasteless and inappropriate,” Schmid told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. “With his urge for self-promotion, he harms the council’s reputation and entirely forfeits credibility for his other activities.” The municipal-political proposals Ferrat cited are, from Schmids’ perspective, merely a fig leaf for his private inclinations. Ferrat has said he intends to build a nudist swinger paradise in Mannheim, which would supposedly bring millions into the city’s coffers; his plans, he argued, are connected to his municipal mandate.
Mannheim City Councillor Gerhard Fontagnier (Greens) told SWR that once Ferrat’s statements about the swinger party became public, “It’s really about provoked attention.” Reinhold Götz, the SPD faction leader on the city council, told the broadcaster: “From my perspective, this is completely unacceptable. The mayor must intervene.”
Ferrat demands more composure from colleagues
Julien Ferrat rejected the criticism and urged the “permanently outraged city council members” to stay calm. “If someone criticizes the event, it’s only because he or she regrets not having been there,” the councilor wrote in a press release on Wednesday. “If you look at it objectively, nothing serious happened. We left the room as we found it. All used condoms were taken away and disposed of properly outside the Rathaus.”
Ferrat faces a reprimand from the city council with a relaxed attitude. “It would be a great honor if my swinger party in the Rathaus were given its own item on the next council agenda,” Ferrat said. “I would, of course, use that platform.”
