Bavaria Bars Lisa Poettinger From Teaching Due to Verfassungstreue Concerns

The state's education ministry cites links to a leftist group and ongoing legal cases in its decision, which Poettinger plans to challenge in court.

Lisa Poettinger, a 28-year-old Lehramtsstudentin and climate activist, has been denied entry into the teacher training program in Bavaria over doubts about her commitment to the democratic constitutional order.
The decision is based on her involvement with the 'Offenes Antikapitalistisches Klimatreffen München,' a group labeled as left-extremist by the Bavarian Verfassungsschutz, and ongoing legal investigations into her actions during protests.
Bavaria's Kultusministerium emphasized that Poettinger's climate activism was not the reason for the decision but pointed to her public endorsement of terms like 'Klassenkampf' and 'Profitmaximierung,' which it deemed incompatible with Verfassungstreue.
Poettinger, who describes herself as a Marxist and advocate for democracy, has labeled the decision a 'Berufsverbot' and plans to file a legal challenge, arguing the ruling violates her rights to free speech and career choice.
The case has sparked broader debates about the balance between individual political expression and the state's requirement for Verfassungstreue in public service roles.