Overview

• A 65-year-old from Thüringen called President Steinmeier a “Nazi Schwein” on Facebook and wrote he hoped Hamas would send a bomb when Steinmeier was present.
• The Gera District Court’s State Protection Chamber determined the post went beyond permissible criticism and constituted criminal defamation of a constitutional body.
• Prosecution and defense each sought a 90-daily-rate fine, which was calculated according to the defendant’s financial situation and set at €1,800.
• The conviction was handed down under the criminal code provisions on endangering the democratic state through insults against a Verfassungsorgan.
• The June 16 ruling is not yet legally binding, allowing the defendant to pursue an appeal.