Where Was the Mayor During the Blackout? ... "Playing Tennis With His Partner"

Blackout in Southwest Berlin Caused by Far-Left Group's Arson
Mayor Caught Playing Tennis with Partner During Power Outage
"One Hour of Tennis Could Hinder His Re-Election Bid"

As the German capital Berlin faced difficulties due to an arson attack by a far-left extremist group, it was revealed that the mayor of Berlin played tennis during the blackout, sparking public criticism. Yonhap News reported on the 8th (local time), citing German broadcaster rbb, that "Kai Wegner, the mayor of Berlin, played tennis on the outskirts of Berlin for one hour from 1 p.m. on the 3rd, during the blackout."

Kai Wegner, the mayor of Berlin, sparked controversy after it was revealed that he played tennis on the outskirts of Berlin for one hour from 1 p.m. on the 3rd, during a blackout. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

The blackout began at 6:40 a.m. on the 3rd. Berlin's electricity authorities announced at 12:46 p.m., just before Mayor Wegner started playing tennis, that "it is not possible to determine when power supply will resume." Despite being informed of the blackout, he went ahead with his tennis plans. On the first day, about 45,000 households in the southwest of Berlin lost power, and full restoration was only completed around 2 p.m. on the fifth day, the 7th.

The controversy intensified due to Mayor Wegner's false explanation. When asked by the media why he did not appear at the scene, he claimed, "I coordinated work all day in my home office." However, after the location and time of his tennis match were reported, he changed his statement, saying, "I wanted to clear my head." He also insisted, "I was reachable by phone even on the tennis court."

His tennis partner was reported to be his partner, Katharina G?nther-W?nsch, who is also the Berlin Senator for Education. In response to the tennis scandal involving the centrist-conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) mayor and cabinet member couple, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Alternative for Germany (AfD), Green Party, and Left Party all called for Mayor Wegner's resignation.

Mayor Wegner is aiming for re-election in the city council elections scheduled for September, when the new Berlin government will be formed. The daily S?ddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) commented, "This one hour of tennis is likely to be recorded as a political blackout in Wegner's career," and described it as "a gift to the opposition."

On the 3rd (local time), a blackout occurred in the southwest of Berlin, Germany, and people are standing in front of the fire station. Photo by AP Yonhap News

This blackout incident occurred when a fire broke out on a high-voltage transmission cable connected to the Berlin Southwest Lichterfelde combined heat and power plant. As electricity was cut off, public transportation and mobile phone communications were paralyzed, and with temperatures dropping close to minus 10 degrees Celsius for several days, citizens had to stay in temporary shelters such as gymnasiums. According to local media, this was the longest power outage since World War II.

The far-left group "Vulkangruppe" issued a statement after the fire, saying, "Our target was not the blackout itself, but the fossil fuel economy," and, "The attack on the gas power plant was an act of self-defense and international solidarity with all those protecting the planet and life." The group also said, "We apologize to those who are less well-off," but added, "We have little sympathy for the many who own mansions in this area," indicating that the affluent nature of southwest Berlin was a factor in their decision to target the area.

According to Yonhap News, Vulkangruppe is suspected of having set fire to public facilities such as railways and power transmission equipment in Berlin and nearby areas twelve times since its first arson attack in 2011. In 2024, a power transmission tower near the Tesla factory on the outskirts of Berlin was also set on fire, causing the Tesla factory to halt operations for a week. The group has reportedly confessed to its crimes through left-wing online media, issuing anti-capitalist, anti-technology, and anti-imperialist messages. The German federal prosecutor is investigating Vulkangruppe on terrorism charges.