Ronald Schill
Encyclopedia
Ronald Barnabas Schill is a former judge
, the founder of the German
political parties
Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive (also called PRO or Schill-Partei) and Pro DM/Schill. He served as a Senator of the Interior in the government of Hamburg
from 2001 to 2003.
at an Amtsgericht
in Hamburg from 1993 to 2001. Due to his controversial rulings as a judge, which frequently involved the maximum penalty, he was given the nickname "Richter Gnadenlos" ("Judge Merciless"); most of these rulings were overruled by higher courts later on.
His new-found right-conservative party managed to gain 19.4% of all votes in the elections for Hamburg's parliament, the Bürgerschaft, on 23 September 2001.
Following the elections, his party entered into a coalition government
with the CDU
led by Ole von Beust
. Schill became second mayor
of Hamburg and senator for inner affairs; among other things, he announced that he would lower crime
rates by 50% within 100 days, an undertaking which remained unsuccessful.
, demanded that sex offender
s who did not respond to therapy
be castrated
, and stated that parents who failed to bring up their children "the right way" should be jail
ed. Furthermore, following the Moscow theater hostage crisis
in October 2002, where 129 of 800 hostages were killed by nerve gas employed by the authorities to incapacitate the hostage-takers, he proposed that similar gas should also be used by German
police to fight terrorism
.
Shortly after assuming office, Schill was anonymously accused of cocaine
abuse. He voluntarily underwent hair analysis
which did not yield any evidence of cocaine consumption, and after the findings had been made public, the prosecution authorities stopped their proceedings against Schill.
Schill managed to cause a stir and a wave of indignation throughout the whole of Germany
when he spoke in front of the Bundestag
, Germany's federal parliament, in the final session of the 14th Bundestag on 29 August 2002. In his speech, he said that the victims of the Elbe
flood would not be able to be compensated due to too much money being given to foreign countries; he also berated politicians of all parties, his speech culminating in the words "We (in Germany) without doubt [...] have the most capable people, but the most incompetent politicians" ("Wir haben (in Deutschland) ohne Zweifel die tüchtigsten Menschen, aber [...] die unfähigsten Politiker"). He further reviled politicians by stating that they wasted money, went through the world with a "goblet of charity
" to give away German tax money, brought refugee
s into the country and build "glamorous solitary cells" for prisoners; after accusing the parliament's vice president Anke Fuchs
of violating the constitution, already over his time quota, he first was warned, then asked to finish his speech, and finally had the microphone
turned off 15 minutes after the end of his timeshare.
(CDU
) on 19 August 2003, due to "not being qualified (for the position) with regard to his character" ("charakterlich nicht geeignet").
This was preceded by a private discussion between von Beust and Schill, in which von Beust announced his intent to remove Wellinghausen from office. According to von Beust, Schill then threatened to make public an alleged love affair between von Beust and judiciary senator Roger Kusch (CDU
), which would have resulted in a conflict of interests on von Beust's side.
Schill, on the other hand, told the press that he only had appealed to von Beust to not apply double standards, claiming that he mentioned the case of his fellow party member Mario Mettbach, who cancelled his decision to hire his significant other as an abstractor; he further stated that this collided with von Beust's making Kusch a senator and that the public had a right to be informed about these issues. Kusch publicly admitted to being homosexual soon afterwards; von Beust, however, did not comment further on his sexuality
, pointing out that his sexual orientation was a private issue alone.
Schill's removal from office was appreciated by many organizations, including the churches
and the police union
, even though Schill continued to be a member of Hamburg's Bürgerschaft
.
On 6 December 2003, the federal executive board of the Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive, led by Mario Mettbach, removed Schill from his office as the party's chairman for Hamburg and denied him the right to assume further offices in the party. In response, Schill publicly ridiculed the party's executive board, stating that he could just as well have been removed from office by his haircutter.
Three days later, von Beust declared the coalition of CDU
, FDP and Schill Party to be terminated and asked the parliament to order new elections. Another week later, on 16 December 2003, the Schill Party's federal executive board decided to expel Schill from the party.
On 18 December 2003, Schill, together with five former members of the Schill Party faction in the Hamburg state parliament, formed a new faction; his former partner, Katrin Freund, was elected chairwoman. He announced that if he did not manage to get 5% of all votes in the forthcoming parliamentary elections (and thus not be present in the new parliament), he would emigrate from Germany.
In the elections, on 29 February 2004
, his group won only 3.1% of the votes. He confirmed that he would emigrate, "probably to South America
."
.
In late 2006, Hamburg Police
issued a search warrant for Schill, as he is to testify as a witness in front of a Hamburg state parliament
board of inquiry. As of December 2006, Schill was thought to be in the Rio de Janeiro
area. In December 2007 he appeared in Itzehoe
and was ordered to testify in front of the aforementioned board.
In March 2008, the German tabloid Bild reported that they were in possession of a video showing Schill consuming cocaine in Brazil. In the video he stated that as a judge he had regularly meted out harsher punishments to blacks, whom he disliked intensely. He also stated that his first cocaine test in 2001 yielded a positive result, but a retest with a less sensitive method then gave the desired negative result. Excerpts of this video were made available on YouTube
.
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, the founder of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive (also called PRO or Schill-Partei) and Pro DM/Schill. He served as a Senator of the Interior in the government of Hamburg
Government of Hamburg
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Due to the characteristic that Hamburg is a city-state and a municipality in Germany, the governance deals several details of state politics and community politics. It takes place in two ranks; a city-wide and...
from 2001 to 2003.
Political career
Schill started his career as a judgeJudge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
at an Amtsgericht
Amtsgericht
Amtsgericht is German for Local District Court, situated in Germany in almost every larger capital of a rural district.It mainly acts in Civil and Criminal law affairs. It forms the lowest level of the so-called ordinary jurisdiction of the German judiciary , which is responsible for most criminal...
in Hamburg from 1993 to 2001. Due to his controversial rulings as a judge, which frequently involved the maximum penalty, he was given the nickname "Richter Gnadenlos" ("Judge Merciless"); most of these rulings were overruled by higher courts later on.
His new-found right-conservative party managed to gain 19.4% of all votes in the elections for Hamburg's parliament, the Bürgerschaft, on 23 September 2001.
Following the elections, his party entered into a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with the CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
led by Ole von Beust
Ole von Beust
Carl-Friedrich Arp Ole Freiherr von Beust, generally called Ole von Beust, born April 13, 1955, in Hamburg, Germany, was First Mayor of the city-state of Hamburg from 31 October 2001 to 25 August 2010, serving as President of the Bundesrat from 1 November 2007 on for one year...
. Schill became second mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Hamburg and senator for inner affairs; among other things, he announced that he would lower crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
rates by 50% within 100 days, an undertaking which remained unsuccessful.
Controversies
As a politician, Schill managed to get considerable media attention with his radical positions; among other things, he spoke out for the legalization of cannabisCannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
, demanded that sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
s who did not respond to therapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
be castrated
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
, and stated that parents who failed to bring up their children "the right way" should be jail
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ed. Furthermore, following the Moscow theater hostage crisis
Moscow theater hostage crisis
The Moscow theater hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater on 23 October 2002 by some 40 to 50 armed Chechens who claimed allegiance to the Islamist militant separatist movement in Chechnya. They took 850 hostages and demanded the...
in October 2002, where 129 of 800 hostages were killed by nerve gas employed by the authorities to incapacitate the hostage-takers, he proposed that similar gas should also be used by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
police to fight terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
Shortly after assuming office, Schill was anonymously accused of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
abuse. He voluntarily underwent hair analysis
Hair analysis
Hair analysis may refer to the chemical analysis of a hair sample, but can also refer to microscopic analysis or comparison. Chemical hair analysis may be considered for retrospective purposes when blood and urine are no longer expected to contain a particular contaminant, typically a year or less...
which did not yield any evidence of cocaine consumption, and after the findings had been made public, the prosecution authorities stopped their proceedings against Schill.
Schill managed to cause a stir and a wave of indignation throughout the whole of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
when he spoke in front of the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
, Germany's federal parliament, in the final session of the 14th Bundestag on 29 August 2002. In his speech, he said that the victims of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
flood would not be able to be compensated due to too much money being given to foreign countries; he also berated politicians of all parties, his speech culminating in the words "We (in Germany) without doubt [...] have the most capable people, but the most incompetent politicians" ("Wir haben (in Deutschland) ohne Zweifel die tüchtigsten Menschen, aber [...] die unfähigsten Politiker"). He further reviled politicians by stating that they wasted money, went through the world with a "goblet of charity
Charity (virtue)
In Christian theology charity, or love , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving.- Caritas: altruistic love :...
" to give away German tax money, brought refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s into the country and build "glamorous solitary cells" for prisoners; after accusing the parliament's vice president Anke Fuchs
Anke Fuchs
Anke Fuchs is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She served as Federal Minister for Youth, Family and Health and as Vice President of the Bundestag . Since 2003, she has been the President of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.-Biography:She was born Anke...
of violating the constitution, already over his time quota, he first was warned, then asked to finish his speech, and finally had the microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
turned off 15 minutes after the end of his timeshare.
Removal as senator
In the summer of 2003 he made headlines again when another government official, Walter Wellinghausen, who held the office of a Staatsrat and was supported by Schill, was accused of illegally having a second employment; finally, Schill was removed from office by first mayor Ole von BeustOle von Beust
Carl-Friedrich Arp Ole Freiherr von Beust, generally called Ole von Beust, born April 13, 1955, in Hamburg, Germany, was First Mayor of the city-state of Hamburg from 31 October 2001 to 25 August 2010, serving as President of the Bundesrat from 1 November 2007 on for one year...
(CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
) on 19 August 2003, due to "not being qualified (for the position) with regard to his character" ("charakterlich nicht geeignet").
This was preceded by a private discussion between von Beust and Schill, in which von Beust announced his intent to remove Wellinghausen from office. According to von Beust, Schill then threatened to make public an alleged love affair between von Beust and judiciary senator Roger Kusch (CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
), which would have resulted in a conflict of interests on von Beust's side.
Schill, on the other hand, told the press that he only had appealed to von Beust to not apply double standards, claiming that he mentioned the case of his fellow party member Mario Mettbach, who cancelled his decision to hire his significant other as an abstractor; he further stated that this collided with von Beust's making Kusch a senator and that the public had a right to be informed about these issues. Kusch publicly admitted to being homosexual soon afterwards; von Beust, however, did not comment further on his sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, pointing out that his sexual orientation was a private issue alone.
Schill's removal from office was appreciated by many organizations, including the churches
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
and the police union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, even though Schill continued to be a member of Hamburg's Bürgerschaft
Hamburg Parliament
The Hamburg Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parliament, representing a relatively equal amount of constituencies...
.
On 6 December 2003, the federal executive board of the Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive, led by Mario Mettbach, removed Schill from his office as the party's chairman for Hamburg and denied him the right to assume further offices in the party. In response, Schill publicly ridiculed the party's executive board, stating that he could just as well have been removed from office by his haircutter.
Three days later, von Beust declared the coalition of CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, FDP and Schill Party to be terminated and asked the parliament to order new elections. Another week later, on 16 December 2003, the Schill Party
On 18 December 2003, Schill, together with five former members of the Schill Party faction in the Hamburg state parliament, formed a new faction; his former partner, Katrin Freund, was elected chairwoman. He announced that if he did not manage to get 5% of all votes in the forthcoming parliamentary elections (and thus not be present in the new parliament), he would emigrate from Germany.
In the elections, on 29 February 2004
Hamburg state election, 2004
The Hamburg state election, 2004, was conducted on February 29, 2004, to elect members to the Hamburgische Bürgerschaft of Hamburg...
, his group won only 3.1% of the votes. He confirmed that he would emigrate, "probably to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
."
Since 2004
In fall 2004, he emigrated to CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
In late 2006, Hamburg Police
Hamburg Police
The Hamburg Police is the German Landespolizei force for the city-state of Hamburg. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state agencies...
issued a search warrant for Schill, as he is to testify as a witness in front of a Hamburg state parliament
Hamburg Parliament
The Hamburg Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parliament, representing a relatively equal amount of constituencies...
board of inquiry. As of December 2006, Schill was thought to be in the Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
area. In December 2007 he appeared in Itzehoe
Itzehoe
Itzehoe is a town in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.As the capital of the district Steinburg, Itzehoe is located on the Stör, a navigable tributary of the Elbe, 51 km northwest of Hamburg and 24 km north of Glückstadt...
and was ordered to testify in front of the aforementioned board.
In March 2008, the German tabloid Bild reported that they were in possession of a video showing Schill consuming cocaine in Brazil. In the video he stated that as a judge he had regularly meted out harsher punishments to blacks, whom he disliked intensely. He also stated that his first cocaine test in 2001 yielded a positive result, but a retest with a less sensitive method then gave the desired negative result. Excerpts of this video were made available on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Further reading
- Marco Carini, Andreas Speit: Ronald Schill. Der Rechtssprecher, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-89458-214-6 (in German)
- Holger Stürenburg: Ronald B. Schill - Der Eisbrecher?! Eine Chronik des Wechsels in Hamburg, Köln 2002, ISBN 3-932530-02-0 (in German)
- Florian Hartleb: Rechts- und Linkspopulismus - Eine Fallstudie anhand von Schill-Partei und PDS (Right-wing and Left-wing Populism. A Case Study of Schill Party and PDS), Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-531-14281-X (in German)
- Birgit Baumann: Ronald Schill - Ein gnadenloser Scharfmacher in M. Jungwirth (Hrsg.): Haider, Le Pen & Co.: Europas Rechtspopulisten, Graz 2002, S. 62-73, ISBN 3-222-12999-1 (in German)