In Germany, a 64-year-old pensioner faced a police raid and was taken to court after retweeting a meme labeling Green Economy Minister Robert Habeck as an “idiot.”
The Bavarian police recorded this action as a “politically motivated right-wing crime,” and prosecutors charged the man with spreading “hatred” under federal criminal law. The controversial meme, titled “Schwachkopf PROFESSIONAL” (a play on words meaning “idiot” in German), took inspiration from an advertising campaign and was deemed defamatory by authorities. The man’s house was searched, and his electronic devices were confiscated.
This incident is part of a broader crackdown on online “hate postings” in Germany. In a coordinated “day of action” against such content, German police conducted over 127 actions, including more than 50 home searches. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser defended the initiative, stressing that hate crimes have tangible consequences, while the prosecutor’s office described it as a step toward enforcing accountability on social media.
The case has drawn sharp criticism from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which called it an example of “relentless” persecution of government critics. The AfD also suggested that a potential chancellorship under Habeck could lead to further restrictions on free speech.
“While Habeck presents himself as a ‘people-friendly’ candidate for chancellor, his critics are being relentlessly pursued. They do not shy away from conducting house searches on sleeping families just because the father of the family shared this Schwachkopf graphic. This is what would happen to Germany under a Chancellor Habeck: the complete restriction of freedom of expression by a children’s book author who displayed maximum incompetence for three and a half years, but still feels called to greater things,” wrote the AfD.
This crackdown isn’t the first instance in Bavaria—other critics of the Green party have faced legal action, such as businessman Michael Much, who was prosecuted for satirical posters targeting government officials but ultimately won his case.
Interestingly, last week, X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk mocked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by calling him a “fool” on the platform. While Scholz dismissed the insult, citing that X isn’t an official state organ, critics argue that ordinary citizens do not enjoy the same “Narrenfreiheit”—freedom to mock authority figures—that Musk appears to have. This disparity has stirred widespread debate on social media, with many questioning whether ordinary German citizens are truly free to express dissent.
