Berlin's mayor, Kai Wegner, is under intense pressure to resign following revelations that he played a game of tennis just hours after a devastating arson attack plunged large parts of the German capital into darkness. The incident has sparked a major political scandal, dubbed 'tennis-gate', and raised profound concerns about national readiness for sabotage.
A City in Darkness and a Mayor on Court
The crisis began on Saturday when a deliberate act of sabotage triggered the longest power cut in Berlin since the Second World War. The attack, for which leftwing militants claimed responsibility, severed electricity to approximately 45,000 households and more than 2,000 businesses in the city's south-western districts. City squares were forced to rely on portable lamps for illumination as the scale of the outage became clear.
While emergency services scrambled and citizens endured days without power, Mayor Wegner, a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), took to a tennis court. Public broadcaster RBB reported that between 1pm and 2pm on the day of the attack, Wegner was playing tennis with his partner, Berlin's education minister Katharina Günther-Wünsch.
Initially, Wegner presented a different story to the public. On Sunday, he told reporters he had been "working round the clock" to manage the crisis, claiming he was "on the phone all day" and had "literally locked myself in my office at home." It was only late on Wednesday that he admitted his earlier statements were misleading.
Political Fallout and Calls for Resignation
The revelation has triggered a furious political backlash. With a regional election just eight months away, a growing chorus of critics argues Wegner has lost the moral authority to lead. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which is gaining ground in Berlin polls, accused the mayor of not taking the terrorist attack on city infrastructure seriously.
Kristin Brinker, the AfD's regional parliamentary leader, stated bluntly that Wegner "lied to the people of Berlin's faces." The criticism was not confined to the opposition. Steffen Krach, the mayoral candidate from Wegner's coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), called the mayor's actions "unacceptable" and "unworthy" of his office.
Wegner has since sought to explain his actions, telling CDU lawmakers he needed a short break to "clear his head," with sport being his preferred method. He acknowledged he should have been transparent from the start. The scandal has drawn comparisons to other political missteps, such as the resignation of Valencia's president after being photographed at a long lunch during deadly floods.
Broader Questions of Security and Preparedness
Beyond the personal fate of the mayor, the sabotage attack has ignited a critical debate about Germany's vulnerability and preparedness. The ease with which attackers could cripple a major European capital's infrastructure for days has raised troubling questions about the resilience of critical national systems.
The incident exposed a stark vulnerability, leaving tens of thousands without power and, crucially, without mobile phone signal (or "Netz" in German) for over four days. This double failure amplified the public's sense of insecurity and helplessness.
As Berlin's power gradually returns, the political and security ramifications continue to unfold. The 'tennis-gate' affair has not only jeopardised Kai Wegner's career but has also forced a urgent national conversation about protecting essential services from hostile acts in an increasingly unstable geopolitical climate.
