Overview
- Welt am Sonntag obtained a numbered list reaching 4,999 and case files indicating widespread use of the firm So Done to monitor and pursue alleged online insults during Merz’s opposition tenure.
- Reports say So Done retained about half of recovered sums, a claim that conflicts with Merz’s office, which states all monies were donated to social projects in his Hochsauerland district.
- At least two cases triggered house searches; a Stuttgart court later ruled one raid over the term “drecks Suffkopf” unlawful, and a disabled pensioner’s phone was seized after she wrote “kleiner Nazi.”
- The BKA says 5,155 potential §188 StGB incidents were categorized in the first nine months of 2025, with many referrals flowing through the ZMI from services such as Hessen gegen Hetze.
- Since taking office on May 6, the chancellery says Merz has not personally filed complaints yet did not oppose roughly 170 prosecutions, and media are seeking related records in court.