‘Anti-patriotic...’: Scholz slams rivals over Ukraine policy, faces backlash for 'outburst'

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under fresh scrutiny for reportedly displaying an explosive temper after allegedly calling critics of his Ukraine policy “anti-patriotic provincial assholes” during a private dinner with coalition budget lawmakers.

According to a Politico report, this outburst, which is said to have taken place in January 2024 at the Chancellery office in Berlin, has only recently come to public attention and followed Scholz’s coalition’s difficult negotiations that resulted in a budget deal, which has since collapsed.

At the time of the dinner, Scholz was facing increasing pressure from MPs to enhance military support for Kyiv, with critics alleging that he was too hesitant regarding weapons deliveries.

The chancellor reportedly lost his temper when confronted about the level of aid Germany was providing, as highlighted by Green MP Sebastian Schäfer, who disclosed the incident, reported Politico.

Schäfer said he had urged Scholz to measure military assistance against Germany’s GDP, arguing that Berlin’s contributions were insufficient given its economic standing.

The chancellor responded by lashing out, saying that only “anti-patriotic provincial assholes” would make such a claim, using the German word “Arschlöcher,” added the report.

Another lawmaker who attended the dinner confirmed the incident to Politico, saying that Scholz had “worked himself into a rage” and repeated the insult twice.

Another senior politician has made a similar claim about Scholz.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a prominent pro-Ukraine advocate from the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), said that Scholz had used the same phrase to describe her and other outspoken supporters of Kyiv, including SPD lawmaker Michael Roth and Green MP Toni Hofreiter.

Strack-Zimmermann has been one of Scholz’s most vocal critics regarding his reluctance to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine, frequently challenging him publicly over what she perceives as his risk-averse leadership.

“This became known internally a year ago,” she wrote on X. “Scholz probably doesn’t remember anymore. Any more questions?”

The remark about not remembering references Scholz’s testimony in a significant financial scandal—the Cum-Ex tax fraud case—where he repeatedly stated that he had no recollection of crucial meetings.

A government spokesperson refuted the tantrum accusation, calling it “absurd” and invoking former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama’s well-known phrase: “When they go low, we go high.”

The timing of this revelation further complicates Scholz’s leadership challenges, following an earlier controversy in which he allegedly referred to Berlin’s culture senator, Joe Chialo of the CDU, as a “court jester” for the conservative party.

With inputs from agencies