Boris Palmer, the mayor of Tübingen, has suspended his unpaid role as an adviser to the Baden-Württemberg government on modernising the state and simplifying administration. The move follows allegations of sexual harassment posted on Instagram. Palmer denies them, calling the claims “unfounded” in a statement reported by the German Press Agency.
The allegations appeared on an account attributed to a former member of Tübingen’s municipal council. The agency said it had not been able to contact the woman. Palmer described the accusation as concerning his private life and said he would defend himself and was considering legal action.
Palmer said he would pause his advisory work until the allegations had been clarified. The state ministry said that Minister-President Cem Özdemir had asked him to step back from the role.
Palmer, 54, has been Tübingen’s mayor since 2007. He left the Green Party in 2023 after a series of controversies and is now an independent politician. Following the state election, he was appointed for two years as an unpaid adviser on reducing bureaucracy, alongside his mayoral duties.
Özdemir and Palmer have known each other for years. Palmer had recently expressed openness to rejoining the Greens, and senior party figures, including Özdemir and former minister-president Winfried Kretschmann, had voiced support for a possible return.
Sources: Handelsblatt.