Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, said at the federal government’s open house that he has not filed any criminal complaints for insults since taking office. “I stopped doing that, I don’t do it anymore,” the CDU leader said, adding that he had filed such complaints for a while in the past.
Merz stressed that many insults against politicians are prosecuted ex officio by public prosecutors. He said he is not thin-skinned and does not consider it a crime if someone calls him an ‘idiot.’ The chancellor is open to a discussion about Section 188, which is meant to protect politicians from defamation.
Several proceedings are currently pending at the Heilbronn public prosecutor’s office over insults against the chancellor, including a case in which a local court imposed a high fine for a Facebook post using the term “Lügenfritz” (liar Fritz). Merz said the line is crossed for him when the office itself is damaged, which in his view is not part of freedom of expression.
Source: www.welt.de
