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"Pesticide Tyrol": Oberland-Grüner Bär was in a clinch with 1,371 farmers - now he has the acquittal

2022-05-07T09:59:07.993Z


"Pesticide Tyrol": Oberland-Grüner Bär was in a clinch with 1,371 farmers - now he has the acquittal Created: 05/07/2022, 11:47 am By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi The Green politician Karl Bär was acquitted in criminal proceedings over a pesticide poster from 2017. © GB Green MP Karl Bär had to answer to a court for a pesticide poster from 2017. Now the politician has been acquitted. Munich - The use


"Pesticide Tyrol": Oberland-Grüner Bär was in a clinch with 1,371 farmers - now he has the acquittal

Created: 05/07/2022, 11:47 am

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

The Green politician Karl Bär was acquitted in criminal proceedings over a pesticide poster from 2017.

© GB

Green MP Karl Bär had to answer to a court for a pesticide poster from 2017.

Now the politician has been acquitted.

Munich - The use of pesticides in agriculture is a controversial topic that offers a lot to discuss - not least because of the possible effects on human health.

The Bavarian Greens member of the Bundestag, Karl Bär, also wanted to draw attention to this with a poster in Munich in 2017.

But because of the action, he ended up in court.

However, the legal dispute involving more than a thousand farmers ended in Bär's favour.

Bär was acquitted by the court in the criminal proceedings surrounding his action against pesticides in South Tyrolean apples.

A judge in Bolzano came to this verdict on Friday

(May 6)

because he recognized the inadmissibility of the procedure.

Karl Baer's pesticide trial: Green politician's poster causes legal dispute - farmers accuse him

The background to the case is a poster campaign by Bär - before his time as a member of the Bundestag from Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen and Miesbach - for the Munich Environmental Institute: In 2017, a large poster was put up in the Bavarian capital - as criticism of the use of pesticides in South Tyrolean agriculture.

The official logo was changed to "Pesticide Tyrol".

The province has often been criticized for the use of chemicals, especially in the cultivation of the apples for which South Tyrol is known.

The Agriculture Provincial Council in Bozen and a total of 1371 farmers had filed criminal charges against Bär and the author Alexander Schiebel for defamation and trademark infringement.

Bär had to defend himself in court at the pesticide trial.

The joint plaintiffs later withdrew, so that by Friday only the charge of trademark infringement remained.

However, the public prosecutor's office then reformulated this charge, whereupon the judge ended the proceedings as inadmissible.

Karl Bär acquitted - Green politician sees "good day for freedom of expression"

"I'm very happy that it's over now," Bär told dpa.

He had personally come to the northern Italian province for the verdict to be announced and was relieved that the danger of a large fine was now over.

Bär saw a strengthening of freedom of expression after politicians had tried to legally prevent criticism of the approach in South Tyrolean agriculture: "The high use of chemicals in apple cultivation harms the environment and people.

This judgment is groundbreaking for everyone in Europe who is committed to a healthy environment and nature.”

The Green politician also commented on his acquittal on Twitter.

He reiterated that South Tyrol had a "pesticide problem".

"And everyone is allowed to say that out loud, even in sharp words and pointed formulations and pictures," emphasized Bär and announced that he had been acquitted, which means that the "pesticide process" is now over.

He also thanked those who supported him and the Munich Environmental Institute.

"This is a good day for freedom of speech.

The attempt at intimidation by State Councilor Schuler and the farmers' association failed," Bär said.

Alongside his message, Bär also shared a photo of himself wearing a hood and against a black background.

In his hand he holds an apple.

Below it you can read: “Acquittal in the South Tyrolean pesticide trial.

Victory for freedom of speech!”

Karl Bär: Green politician acquitted in pesticide trial - he already wants to take the next step

A spokeswoman for the Association of South Tyrolean fruit cooperatives said on request that they were looking for a date for a joint round table with the Munich Environmental Institute.

The South Tyrolean state government initially did not comment on the verdict.

Bär held out the prospect of a joint event at which data on the use of pesticides in South Tyrol would then be published, which the Environmental Institute had received as part of the process in Bolzano. 

(bb with material from dpa)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-05-07

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