Carsten Linnemann, the General Secretary of the CDU, has advocated for removing the criminal charge of insulting politicians. Speaking to the television broadcaster “Welt” he expressed “great sympathy” for proposals to amend Paragraph 188 of the Criminal Code, noting that “people shake their heads when such things happen”.
He asserted that politicians must understand “that what we do is not a dollhouse”. While admitting that society has become “a bit more aggressive, even in language” he stated that he does not like this trend either. However, he emphasized that when commentary remains within reasonable bounds, it should stop there. He warns that if these types of insults lead to action by the public prosecutor’s office, people will feel that freedom of speech is being curtailed, which is detrimental to a democracy.
Linnemann also stressed that freedom of speech is protected by the Basic Law, and while the Constitution does permit intervention if someone crosses a line, he believes that anything beyond acceptable boundaries worsens the political atmosphere negatively. Because of this, he argued, it is necessary to discuss the issue.
This discussion arose in part after a recent ruling in Heilbronn District Court, where a criminal fine was issued for insult against political figures after Chancellor Friedrich Merz was referred to as a “Lackaffe”.
