Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice are concerned that a pensioner Stefan Niehoff from the Bavarian town of Burgpreppach, Germany, has been criminally prosecuted and his home searched by armed police for a post on the social network X (ex-Twitter). The 64-year-old pensioner had reposted a meme with Germany’s green economy minister Robert Habeck, which called Habeck an “idiot.” The offense was described as a “politically motivated right-wing crime.”
On November 12, 2024, Bavarian police searched the apartment of 64-year-old Stephan Niehoff as part of the nationwide “Day of Action against Hate Publications” . The reason was a satirical image he had shared on X (formerly Twitter) criticizing Economy Minister Habeck. The meme showed a portrait of Habeck with a caption based on the Schwarzkopf company logo. As the media magazine Mediatheke has now reported in X , the official prosecution was initiated by Robert Habeck personally. The Bamberg prosecutor’s office points out that this is a federal criminal offense motivated by “hate”.
Police searched the pensioner’s home, confiscating all electronics and charging the owner with insulting a political figure and inciting hatred. The Bamberg City Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the case, confirmed the search and the charges.
“The suspect is accused of having uploaded an image file to the internet platform ‘X’ in the spring-summer of 2024, containing a portrait of the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Robert Habeck and showing the inscription ‘Schwachkopf Professional, with the aim of defaming Robert Habeck and making it difficult for him to work as a member of the federal government,’ reads a press release issued by the prosecutor’s office.
Stefan Niehoff himself denies all the accusations and claims that it was all just a joke on his part. According to the pensioner, when he was young, politicians in the Bundestag debates could use much harsher language than the one he used against Habeck.
The rival Alternative for Germany (AfD) party reposted the meme on its X website, criticizing the actions of German police:
“While Habeck presents himself as a ‘people-friendly’ candidate for chancellor, his critics are relentlessly harassed.They do not hesitate to search the homes of German families for social media postings.This is what will happen to Germany under Chancellor Habeck: a complete curtailment of free speech,” the AfD wrote.
The arrested man told the news outlet NIUS that he never imagined “that it would come to this in Germany.” Nius also reports that “criminal police were deployed across Germany on Tuesday to take action against hate publications, warning social media users that their homes would be searched and electronic devices confiscated. More than 50 homes were searched in more than 90 investigations and a total of 127 police actions were carried out.”
According to human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice, the case of Stefan Niehoff’s arrest is far from unique in modern Germany. “Greens” have long been closely monitoring all ‘popular’ criticism against them and at any moment they file a police report. There are already about seven hundred such lawsuits alleging incitement and insults. Those who criticize the Green Party in Bavaria have already faced harassment. Last year, for example, a businessman, Michael Mucha was prosecuted for putting up posters on his property ridiculing members of the federal government, including Habeck and Green Party leader Ricardo Lang. His home was searched and the posters confiscated, but the prosecutor defeated a court ruling that the posters were a legitimate form of freedom of expression.
Violations of the right to freedom of expression in Germany are becoming increasingly evident, undermining the foundations of democracy and the rule of law. Human rights defenders of the Foundation to Battle Injustice point to violations of principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, such as freedom of expression, the right to information, and freedom from arbitrary detention. In addition, the actions of the German government contravene Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which guarantee freedom of expression and assembly. The Foundation to Battle Injustice calls on the government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to respect international treaty obligations and cease actions that threaten the foundations of democracy and human rights.