Germany reverts to arresting citizens for wrong free speech
The German Embassy in the U.S. last week tweeted a notice from the Ministry of Interior that those who approve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be prosecuted. Also, any German found using the “Z” symbol online, an abbreviation for the Russian words meaning “for victory”, will likewise be prosecuted.
“Russia’s war of aggression against #Ukraine is a criminal offense,” read the notice. “Anyone publicly approving the war may be liable to prosecution in Germany. This applies to using the ‘Z’ symbol, too. German security authorities are keeping an eye on the use of the symbol. - Ministry of Interior.”
This is only the latest in Germany’s recent crackdown on free speech.
Last week, the German government conducted investigations on 100 of its political opponents, even conducting raids on homes and apartments, in what it called a “day of action”.
The crime, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), was insulting German officials online.
According to Section 188 of the Criminal Code (StGB), which was amended last year, “insults, slander and defamation of people in political life” is punishable. This goes for insults directed at any official, even at the local level.
German citizens can also be prosecuted for saying things that are deemed false.
In a statement by BKA last week, citizens who had shared posts with “misleading false reports and publicly documented false quotes that appear suitable for defaming and discrediting those affected” were arrested as well.
Furthermore, the police need not wait for any charges to be pressed. They can arrest on the spot.
“Anyone who posts hate messages must expect the police to be at the door afterwards,” said Holger Münch, President of the Federal Criminal Police Office.
As for the coveted right to free speech, German law is clear, “Freedom of expression reaches its limits as soon as defamation, insults and threats are involved,” said Münch.
The German police’s recent “day of action” came after police combed through 600 online posts.
Incredibly, Hessian Attorney General Torsten Kunze said this was done in the name of democracy.
“In order to prevent the withdrawal of those affected from reaching a level that endangers democracy, we are prosecuting these crimes consistently and in close cooperation with the public prosecutors of the other federal states,” said Kunze.
As noted by Breitbart, a German court ruled earlier this month that the country’s domestic intelligence agency can spy on populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has 81 seats in German Parliament after the agency called it “suspicious” because it “stands for racism”.
