Status: 10.11.2023, 18:00 PM
By: Mayls Majurani
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Because a 47-year-old insulted the federal chairwoman of the Young Liberals on the Internet, he was now in court (symbolic image). © Dpa
Because a 47-year-old insulted the federal chairwoman of the Young Liberals on the Internet, he was now on trial.
Southern County – On social networks, the tone is often harsh. However, they are not a lawless area – anyone who insults must expect criminal proceedings. This is what happened to a 47-year-old from the southern district. Because he insulted Franziska Brandmann, federal chairwoman of the Young Liberals, he sat as a defendant before the district court of Erding.
In January, the man had described the politician on the platform Twitter (now X) as "stupid" and "scum", among other things. Brandmann had previously written a tweet in which she welcomed Germany's arms deliveries to Ukraine. "In retrospect, these were unpleasant statements," admitted the 47-year-old.
However, it was an emotional exception. His wife is Ukrainian, and three days before the incident, an old friend of hers was killed at home. "He was involuntarily drafted. Then a grenade exploded, and that was it." When he saw the jubilation in politics because of arms deliveries, he let out his frustration – more weapons are not the solution to a war.
Judge Andreas Wassermann explained that he was bothered by the word "scum" alone: "Everything else in your contribution is covered by freedom of expression." In addition, according to new case law, the personal rights of people in public office must be particularly protected. "'Scum' – was that really necessary?" he asked several times.
The defendant was sorry for the choice of words, which he asserted several times: "I screwed up." Due to the particular emotional situation at the time of the crime, the public prosecutor's office and the court refrained from further prosecution. The proceedings were temporarily discontinued in exchange for a fine of 700 euros in favour of the UN Refugee Agency. The penalty order, to which the man had appealed, provided for a fine twice as high. "It was a short-term derailment, and the statements are on the border between freedom of expression and the violation of the personal rights of the JuLi chairmen," Wassermann explained.