Antonio Rüdiger fails with incitement suit Julian Reichelt

It’s about a finger-wagging gesture on the internet: national soccer player Antonio Rüdiger wanted to defend himself against criticism from journalist Julian Reichelt by filing a complaint, but failed. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office announced in response to a request from the news agency DPA that it had closed an investigation against Reichelt due to a lack of suspicion. In the spring it became known that the soccer star wanted to defend himself against internet posts by the journalist, who was previously editor-in-chief of “Bild” and has been working in a responsible position for the portal “Nius” for a long time. The investigations concerned allegations of insult and incitement.

Antiono Rüdiger praying

At its core, the case revolves around a much-discussed Instagram post by the Real Madrid professional about the fasting month of Ramadan. In the post, the practicing Muslim Rüdiger posted a photo of himself in a white robe on a prayer rug. The index finger of his right hand points to the sky. “May the Almighty accept our fasting and our prayers,” wrote the 31-year-old as a greeting for Ramadan.

Reichelt was convinced that Rüdiger’s raised index finger was an Islamist gesture. The defender countered that he did not want to be denigrated as an Islamist. Reichelt’s criticism, which he posted in several posts on the Internet, led to Rüdiger filing a criminal complaint against him, and the German Football Association (DFB) also reported the matter to the Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) of the Frankfurt/Main Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Posts by Julian Reichelt “Value judgements”

The Berlin public prosecutor’s office stated that there was no criminal liability for insult, slander or defamation. “The posts do not represent factual statements, but rather – as is clear from the overall context – mere value judgements.” Even when weighed against freedom of expression, there was no sufficient suspicion of a crime. The investigators also do not consider the accusation of incitement to hatred to be fulfilled.

The sign is a typical gesture among Muslims and part of prayer. The outstretched index finger symbolizes belief in the one and only God (“Tauhid”). The sign is the visible expression of the Islamic creed, which testifies that there are no other gods besides the one God (“Allah”) (monotheism).

Antonio Rüdiger and the “Tauhid” finger

In the spring, the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced the debate on the finger pointing: “The so-called ‘tauhid’ finger is considered in Islam to be a symbol of the unity and uniqueness of God. The gesture is widespread among Muslims all over the world.”

According to the ministry, the so-called “tauhid” finger is to be understood as a declaration of faith and is therefore not problematic in terms of public safety. “This applies regardless of the fact that Islamist groups appropriate this symbol and misuse it for their own purposes.”

In this respect, the display of the “so-called ‘tauhid’ finger can be seen in certain contexts as a sign of Salafist or Islamist radicalization if actors consciously use this ambiguity.” Here, it depends on the individual case.