FDP Candidate Denies Right-Wing Populism Amid Free Speech Debate in Germany

FDP politician and prospective chair candidate Wolfgang Kubicki rejected accusations of right-wing populism, stating to the “Spiegel”, “I find this entire discussion completely absurd”. He added, “I really can’t help you with this”. Kubicki continued regarding the newspaper’s apparent viewpoint, stating, “If the “Spiegel” is now of the opinion that advocating for freedom of speech is right-wing populist, then I say: it was the right thing that I canceled my “Spiegel” subscription after 40 years”. According to Kubicki, freedom of speech in Germany is under threat. He noted that the freedom is restricted when “the public prosecutor stands outside your door at six in the morning simply because you called me an idiot”. Kubicki also refuted the idea that he intended to shift the FDP to the right, responding, “That would be new to me”. Concerning a statement he made weeks ago, suggesting that the ZDF could be classified as a “lying channel” due to an editorial error, the liberal politician defended himself by saying, “If the ZDF spreads fake news, then it can be stated in terms of civil rights”.