Andy Cooper compared Katharina Boettge to Hitler's mistress Eva Braun (pictured)
A NOTTS councillor is being urged to resign after comparing a German resident to Hitler's mistress.
Andy Cooper, a Labour member of Kimberley Town and Broxtowe Borough councils, referred to Katharina Boettge as "Eva Braun" in an email to fellow councillors. Broxtowe Tory MP Anna Soubry, a Government minister, has called on him to resign from both positions for making the "highly offensive" and "racist" comment.
Mr Cooper, 64, said: "It was a foolish thing to say but to accuse me of being a racist, I find it laughable. "It was the first German woman's name that came into my head – I could have said Angela Merkel, I probably should have done.
"There's no way I am going to resign, no way." Mr Cooper said he had been angered by recent statements by Ms Boettge in which she accused the town council of failing to follow its own rules. Ms Boettge, 37, a former member of the town council, said of his remark: "I found it deeply offensive.
"There should be no space in British politics for racism and I think he should resign from both councils. "It's a derogatory statement based on nationality and heritage – that's racism." The remark has sparked the resignation ofanother Labour councillor, Janet Pearce, who has served on the council for 24 years.
She said she was already unhappy at what she saw as a lack of transparency over council finances– and Mr Cooper's remark was "the final tipping point". Hers is one of ten resignations from the council in the past four years. Two other members, including Ms Boettge, and David Kirwan, have quit during the past month. They too had concerns over council finances. Ms Soubry says she plans to write to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles about the council. She said: "Councillor Cooper should resign.
His description of Katharina was highly offensive and to use racist language is never acceptable, especially from an elected representative. I am profoundly concerned at the way Kimberley Town Council is being run. "If Councillor Cooper refuses to resign, I expect the Labour group on both councils to expel him." Mr Cooper sent the offending email yesterday in response to a newsletter sent by Ms Soubry in which she referred to a meeting of Kimberley Residents' Association and said: "There is concern that the council's reserves have all but been spent and councillors are consistently denied financial details."
Ms Bottege and Mr Kirwan both attended the meeting. The email read: "She's not bothered how low she is prepared to go. VOTES, VOTES, VOTES! "Amazing how Kirwan and Eva Braun can turn up at KRA meeting but go missing for KTC." Ms Boettge grew up in Munich and moved to Nottingham 15 years ago, aged 22. She said that both her grandfathers fought reluctantly in the Second World War.
One deliberately surrendered to Russian forces to avoid fighting. Her grandmother helped hide Jewish runaways during the conflict. "As a German, I can tell you, there's a deep-seated shame and guilt we carry about what happened in the First World and particularly Second World War," Ms Boettge said. "It's not something, whether jokes or anything like this, that would ever be acceptable." Town council chairman Dave Nunn said that he would not comment until he had "all the facts". But he said there was nearly £240,000 in the council's reserves and that spending decisions had been made "openly, publicly and by a vote".
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| Der Fuhrer's wife: Eva Anna Paula Hitler (née Braun ; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) |
Andy Cooper, a Labour member of Kimberley Town and Broxtowe Borough councils, referred to Katharina Boettge as "Eva Braun" in an email to fellow councillors. Broxtowe Tory MP Anna Soubry, a Government minister, has called on him to resign from both positions for making the "highly offensive" and "racist" comment.
Mr Cooper, 64, said: "It was a foolish thing to say but to accuse me of being a racist, I find it laughable. "It was the first German woman's name that came into my head – I could have said Angela Merkel, I probably should have done.
"There's no way I am going to resign, no way." Mr Cooper said he had been angered by recent statements by Ms Boettge in which she accused the town council of failing to follow its own rules. Ms Boettge, 37, a former member of the town council, said of his remark: "I found it deeply offensive.
"There should be no space in British politics for racism and I think he should resign from both councils. "It's a derogatory statement based on nationality and heritage – that's racism." The remark has sparked the resignation ofanother Labour councillor, Janet Pearce, who has served on the council for 24 years.
She said she was already unhappy at what she saw as a lack of transparency over council finances– and Mr Cooper's remark was "the final tipping point". Hers is one of ten resignations from the council in the past four years. Two other members, including Ms Boettge, and David Kirwan, have quit during the past month. They too had concerns over council finances. Ms Soubry says she plans to write to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles about the council. She said: "Councillor Cooper should resign.
His description of Katharina was highly offensive and to use racist language is never acceptable, especially from an elected representative. I am profoundly concerned at the way Kimberley Town Council is being run. "If Councillor Cooper refuses to resign, I expect the Labour group on both councils to expel him." Mr Cooper sent the offending email yesterday in response to a newsletter sent by Ms Soubry in which she referred to a meeting of Kimberley Residents' Association and said: "There is concern that the council's reserves have all but been spent and councillors are consistently denied financial details."
Ms Bottege and Mr Kirwan both attended the meeting. The email read: "She's not bothered how low she is prepared to go. VOTES, VOTES, VOTES! "Amazing how Kirwan and Eva Braun can turn up at KRA meeting but go missing for KTC." Ms Boettge grew up in Munich and moved to Nottingham 15 years ago, aged 22. She said that both her grandfathers fought reluctantly in the Second World War.
One deliberately surrendered to Russian forces to avoid fighting. Her grandmother helped hide Jewish runaways during the conflict. "As a German, I can tell you, there's a deep-seated shame and guilt we carry about what happened in the First World and particularly Second World War," Ms Boettge said. "It's not something, whether jokes or anything like this, that would ever be acceptable." Town council chairman Dave Nunn said that he would not comment until he had "all the facts". But he said there was nearly £240,000 in the council's reserves and that spending decisions had been made "openly, publicly and by a vote".