In a recent phone call, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) reportedly told CDU politician and Berlin’s Cultural Senator Joe Chialo that the “Hofnarr”-incident is now closed. According to Scholz, the two spoke on Wednesday evening and Chialo shared that the matter is now settled for him. The controversy began when Scholz, while discussing migration and the CDU’s collaboration with the AfD in the Bundestag, referred to Chialo as the “Hofnarr” of the CDU, a term that translates to “court jester” or “court fool”.
Chialo, who is of Tanzanian descent, initially felt the remark was hurtful but later stated that he does not consider Scholz a racist. The CDU, however, accused Scholz of using a racist tone, claiming that the comment was directed at Chialo due to his family’s African heritage. The incident has sparked a heated debate, with some arguing that Scholz’s words were indeed racist, while others believe the matter has been blown out of proportion. Regardless, the phone call between the two politicians appears to have brought a sense of closure to the controversy, at least for Chialo.