In addition to his anti-immigration book Hostile Takeover, the reason for the decision was also a performance at an Austrian FPÖ party event during the European election campaign, reported the Austrian news agency APA, citing party circles.
A party court of Sarrazin’s district association Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf had decided in summer 2019 that the SPD should exclude Sarrazin. The judges accused him of “cultural and anti-Islamic racism”, referring to two party reports.
There had previously been two attempts to throw the former Bundesbank board member out of the party.
Sarrazin had taken part in a FPÖ discussion event in Vienna in March 2019. Together with the then Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache (FPÖ), he spoke about the dangers of Islamization.
The former finance senator told German daily Die Welt that he had not yet been informed of the decision. His lawyer explained yesterday: “After today’s inquiry to the SPD Landesverband Berlin, we were informed that a decision was being prepared for which there would be a restraint period until tomorrow, January 24, 10:00 a.m. Obviously, the party leadership of the SPD has already made the decision to tell the media and public today.”
In the meantime, the former deputy SPD chair Ralf Stegner expressed his joy at the decision of the arbitral tribunal via Twitter. “It is good that we no longer have to justify ourselves over the foolish, dull and rightwing Sarrazin outpourings on refugees, Islam or other tasteless issues!”