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Olaf Scholz sparks pirate memes with eye patch photo

September 4, 2023

The German chancellor bruised his eye after he fell while jogging on the weekend. Two days later, he shared a photo of his new eye patch and said he is "excited to see the memes."

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Olaf Scholz wearing an eye patch
Olaf Scholz said his face injuries look worse than they areImage: Steffen Kugler/dpa/Bundesregierung/picture alliance

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz released a photo of himself wearing an eye patch on Monday after he fell while jogging.

Scholz, an avid jogger, sustained bruises and grazes to the right side of his face.

The playful photo on Monday served to deflect any concerns about his health and sparked a series of pirate jokes online.

"Thanks for the well wishes, it looks worse than it is!" he wrote under the picture on his official account.

"Excited to see the memes," he added.

Scholz inundated with memes

The photo received thousands of likes and comments shortly after it was posted on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.

Replies included memes of Scholz with pirates wearing pirate hats and brandishing swords. Others wished the German chancellor a speedy recovery.

Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said the photo was released "so that everyone can get used to what he will look like in the next week or two."

Scholz had to cancel his engagements on Sunday, but the rest of his week was unaffected. He is scheduled to attend a Catholic church event later on Monday and visit the IAA auto show in Munich on Tuesday.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

zc/lo (dpa, AP, AFP, Reuters)