German law provides far more protection for the reputations of politicians than any rational country should ever do … because free citizens should always have the right to criticize their political leaders under any circumstance short of threats and physical violence. And by “disrespectful”, they mean anything as trivial as referring to the Chancellor as “Pinocchio”:
In the latest retarded case of political repression to afflict the Federal Republic of Germany, police are investigating a pensioner for the crime of associating the German Chancellor with an iconic children’s book character.
From the Heilbronner Stimme:
When … Friedrich Merz and Baden-Württemberg Minister President Winfried Kretschmann came to Heilbronn last October for the opening ceremony of the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI), the celebrity visit occasioned discussion discussion on social media.
A post appeared on the Heilbronn Police Facebook page informing locals about a temporary flight ban enacted for security during the visit. A resident of Heilbronn responded by writing that “Pinocchio is coming to [Heilbronn].” He included a long-nosed emoji.
Three months later, at the end of January, the man could hardly believe his eyes as he received a letter from the criminal police informing him that he is now under investigation for his comment. He is suspected of committing the crime of insult as prohibited by Section 188 of the Criminal Code.
StGB §188 is the notorious “lèse-majesté” statute, which the Bundestag expanded substantially in 2021 when politicians grew tired of being criticised for suspending most of our democratic freedoms in a mad drive to exterminate a respiratory virus. As currently formulated, StGB §188 enhances penalties for “insult, malicious gossip and defamation” when the rabble direct these at “persons in political life”, and also makes these transgressions easier to prosecute. In this case, the pinched schoolmarms on the “social media team” who run the Heilbronn Police Facebook page filed a complaint with prosecutors as soon as they noticed our pensioner’s comment. Apparently it is their policy to monitor comments and cry to teacher whenever they see anything they don’t like.
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[…] YO, FRITZ CAN GO GOOSESTEP SOMEWHERE ELSE: Don’t call German Chancellor Friedrich Merz anything disrespectful … or else. […]
Pingback by Instapundit » Blog Archive » YO, FRITZ CAN GO GOOSESTEP SOMEWHERE ELSE: Don’t call German Chancellor Friedrich Merz anything — February 25, 2026 @ 02:02
Just remember: The current Constitution of the FRG was dictated to them by the victorious Americans at the end of WW2. Note the lack of Freedom of Speech, Right to Bear Arms, Right against Self Incrimination, and the Burden of Proof falling on the accused, not the accuser. And now we’re shocked by it.
That is the Constitution that the Democrats, (FDR, Truman) would have imposed on these United States had they been able.
Comment by UH1H CE — February 25, 2026 @ 11:56
And that was still better than what they’d been considering for postwar Germany – it could have been much worse.
Comment by Nicholas — February 25, 2026 @ 12:02