German Court Fines Citizen for Calling Chancellor "Lying Fritz"

A German court has ruled that calling Chancellor Friedrich Merz “lying Fritz” should be criminally prosecuted out of “public interest,” slapping the offender with a fine amounting to an average monthly salary, or more than €2,000 ($2,322). The case is just one of dozens of similar investigations launched by German police over critical comments posted on Facebook last year, the public prosecutor’s office in the southwestern city of Heilbronn told Die Welt. The prosecution dates back to October 25, when a local police department issued a drone no-fly zone warning ahead of Merz’s visit to the area. What followed was a string of angry comments in which Merz was called a “lying clown,” a “loose talker,” and a “lackey,” according to reports. The authorities opened 39 initial proceedings under Article 188 of the German Criminal Code, which bans insults against people “engaged in public political life” if they are “likely to significantly impede” their public activities. Fifteen cases were eventually dropped due to lack of evidence, the prosecutor’s office said. People who called Merz “Pinocchio” and a “lying clown” can rest assured that no law enforcement officials will be knocking on their doors any time soon, according to Tagesspiegel. However, in the case of “lying Fritz,” the court decided in March that the words are “likely to incite further negative prejudices or aggression among like-minded individuals.” Asked about the cases at this week’s press conference, a government spokesman said he would not comment on the matter “out of respect for the judiciary,” adding that Merz himself did not file any charges. Pressed further, the official said these were “normal legal procedures” that “must be protected.” Merz, who has said the welfare state is obsolete and has told Germans to work more instead of taking sick leave, was recently named the world’s most unpopular leader in an opinion poll. Last month, German media reported that his own party was considering dumping him due to his record-low approval ratings. Further fueling concerns about free speech, German regulators are reportedly planning to force social media platforms to boost government-approved outlets in their algorithms, according to media reports, citing leaked government documents. The EU stated in April that the German government misused hate-speech laws to restrict freedom of expression.