“Imbecile” debate
Top politicians want to abolish insult paragraphs
Due to a change in the law in 2021, citizens must expect the police if they insult politicians. The first MPs now want to reverse this.
Top representatives of the FDP and the Left Party warn of a two-tier justice system in Germany due to the flood of complaints from politicians against citizens. This threatens due to a tightening of the law in 2021, which punishes insulting politicians more harshly. They demand that the relevant paragraph must now be weakened.
“The tightening in this form was a mistake and shakes the population’s trust in the right to freedom of expression,” said the deputy leader of the FDP, Wolfgang Kubicki star. “Liberals have always spoken out against the separate prosecution of so-called lese majeste crimes.”
Insult law “absurd and excessive”
Janis Ehling, Federal Managing Director of the Left, expressed a similar opinion: “Tightening laws is often just a helpless act that shows little sustainability.” Increasing the protection of local politicians is completely right. “But now we are seeing how a simple “idiot” post against a minister leads to house searches,” criticizes Ehling. “This is absurd and excessive.”
The former Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet calls on top politicians to show more restraint: “We as politicians should carefully and moderately consider the initiation of criminal proceedings against abusive citizens,” said Laschet when asked by the star. “At every regular meeting, those in power are always called idiots, idiots or imbeciles.”
The basis is a law from the grand coalition
The background to the debate: In 2021, the grand coalition at the time introduced Section 188 in the Criminal Code shortly before its end. Previously, only physical attacks or slander against politicians were punishable separately. It was a law from 1871.
From 2021 onwards, however, insults – such as idiots – against “people in the political life of the people” were also prosecuted more harshly for the first time. From this point on, the maximum penalty was up to three years in prison. According to the justification for the law, this was intended to prevent a “poisoning of the political climate”.
The number of advertisements has increased significantly
Since then, the number of complaints filed by politicians against citizens has increased massively. The two Green Party ministers Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock alone have filed more than 1,000 complaints against citizens for insults and sometimes threats since they took office.
Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is also pursuing insults. According to research by the star to house searches. In one case, because someone called him a “Nazi” on Platform X.
Left and FDP against special treatment of politicians
Left managing director Ehling is now warning against special treatment for politicians. “Politicians like Robert Habeck or Friedrich Merz apparently enjoy unjustified special treatment.” If other citizens are insulted, at most a warning would be given. “This will create a two-tier justice system,” warns Ehling.
FDP deputy leader Kubicki sees it similarly: “The solution cannot be that we now place politicians on a different hierarchical level who use criminal law to avoid being called ‘imbeciles’ or ‘idiots’.” He also believes that protecting local politicians is right, but only in the case of defamation and slander.
Laschet appeals to the common sense of his colleagues
During his federal election campaign, Armin Laschet experienced what it means to be the target of hatred and agitation. Nevertheless, he does not see Paragraph 188 as being to blame for the current flood of advertisements. “Hate and agitation as well as insults should be punished with the new Paragraph 188,” said Laschet. That is fundamentally correct.
Rather, Laschet appeals to other top politicians that the excessive use of the paragraph must be reduced: “Automatically pursuing everyone with warning companies does not fit my understanding of a liberal democracy,” said Laschet. That’s why he carefully weighs things up and only signs reports in the event of the most serious incidents and threats against life.
Citizens are even threatened with further tightening
Kubicki and Ehling don’t think that’s enough. “We are currently blocking the law enforcement authorities with trivialities, while real threats are increasing online and in real life,” says Kubicki angrily. “I think this is unacceptable.”
Left managing director Ehling is therefore also calling for consequences: “Personal rights must be protected, but my suggestion for paragraph 188 would be to revise it and find the balance again.”
However, part of German politics seems to be heading in a completely different direction. At the suggestion of the Lower Saxony department head Kathrin Wahlmann (SPD), the justice ministers of the states want to discuss lowering the requirements for “insulting politicians” these days.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
