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Joachim Paul speaks at the state party conference of the Rhineland-Palatinate Alternative for Germany (AfD).
© Harald Tittel/dpa
More than four years ago, AfD MP Joachim Paul lost political positions because there were alleged to have been indications of right-wing extremist ideas.
The public prosecutor's office is now investigating Paul - it's about a video on his Twitter account.
Mainz/Koblenz - The Koblenz public prosecutor's office is conducting an investigation against the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament member Joachim Paul.
A spokesman for the investigative agency said on Friday in response to a request from the German Press Agency in Mainz that it was about the accusation of potentially criminal violation of the most personal sphere of life and the violation of personal rights through image recordings.
Paul and the AfD parliamentary group did not want to comment on the allegations when asked by the dpa on Friday.
In March 2023, the AfD politician is said to have published a post on his Twitter account with an unpixelated video that was distributed on social media, in which a girl can be seen being beaten, spit on and humiliated by other girls, said the spokesman for the public prosecutor's office.
He is said to have made this video recording, linked to a political message, available to the public until the following day.
The accused is presumed innocent, said the spokesman for the public prosecutor's office.
According to Section 201a of the Criminal Code, a fine or prison sentence of up to two years is possible for this act.
The Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament in Mainz lifted the AfD MP's immunity on Thursday, thereby clearing the way for the investigation.
According to media reports, Paul, who is the education policy spokesman for the AfD state parliamentary group, was recently banned from holding office by his state association.
The reason is that Paul is said to have shown a greeting at an AfD event, which is considered a symbol of right-wing radicals.
Paul was voted out of office as chairman of the media committee of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament in 2019.
Among other things, he was accused of having written an article for a magazine close to the NPD a few years ago.
However, he denied that.
Paul was also voted out of office as a member of the board of trustees of the State Center for Civic Education because there were alleged to have been indications of right-wing extremist ideas.
dpa