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Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman reportedly made an effort to kiss German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during a group photo session in Berlin. The video of the entire incident has gone viral, which has landed him in controversy.
During a picture shoot at an EU meeting on November 2, Radman, 65, was seen in the video reportedly trying to kiss Baerbock on the cheek and shaking her hand, but the German foreign affairs minister was seen evading his advances.
The situation then sparked debates in larger circles as well as on social media. The video was uploaded by several X (formerly known as Twitter) users, like @SprinterX99880 and @velerie_a. Once the videos went viral, social media users criticized Radman for his act in the comments.
Netizens bashed Gordan Grlic Radman for seemingly trying to kiss German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
On Thursday, November 2, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman found himself in the midst of a controversy when he reportedly tried to kiss German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during their group photo in Berlin.
Unfortunately, the entire incident was caught on camera. It then became a widely shared video on social media. In the video, Radman was seen trying to give Baerbock a handshake but then seemingly ended up trying to give her a kiss on her cheek instead during the group shot.
However, in the footage, the German foreign affairs minister was seen avoiding his advances during the tense exchange.
Following the conclusion of the photo session, Baerbock was seen moving away from Grlic Radman and facing whoever was speaking to him from behind. However, the gesture of Gordan provoked intense discussion on social media and angered feminist organizations, although Grlic Radman dismissed the criticism.
As per The Economic Times, in response to multiple reporters' questions, Radman stated that,
“I don't know what the problem was… We always greet each other warmly. It is a warm human approach to a colleague.”
On the other hand, according to the BBC, prominent Croatian women's rights advocate Rada Boric did not shy away from criticizing Radman's conduct. His move was categorically deemed “highly inappropriate” by her. She further questioned the appropriateness of the action in the given situation.
Warm greetings and physical touch should only be extended to those whose relationship and mutual consent permit them, Boric further emphasized. She also told the Jutarnji List outlet that,
“It's clear that such a relationship doesn't exist here and that the (German) minister was left surprised with such closeness.”
Further, as WION reported, Jadranka Kosor, the former prime minister of Croatia, voiced her dissatisfaction regarding the matter. She also expressed her opinions on the subject.
Kosor further emphasized the need of consent and respecting one's own limits, saying that any unwanted physical contact, like Gordan Grlic Radman's seemingly attempted kiss, should be viewed as a breach that is comparable to violence. Addressing the incident, Kosor wrote a post on X in Slovakia.
Using Google Translate, this roughly translates to,
“Violent kissing of women is also called violence, is it not?"
After the video went viral, netizens took to the comment section of the clips uploaded by @SprinterX99880 and @velerie_a to bash Radman for his action.
When asked about the incident and Gordan Grlic Radman's actions by different news outlets like The Independent and Daily Mail, Baerbock did not make any comment.
