Overview

• The Landgericht Karlsruhe again found the 33-year-old guilty of incitement to hatred over a 2023 sermon that was livestreamed and later posted online.
• The court said he disparaged homosexual and queer people, portrayed them as inferior, attacked their human dignity, and denied them a right to live, noting the sermon was timed for Pride Month.
• Judges imposed 150 day-fines at €45 each, a higher rate than the prior court’s €40, after prosecutors sought 180 day-fines at €40 and the defense argued the statements were protected by religious and free-speech rights.
• The case previously led to a 2024 conviction by the Pforzheim district court, and the defense left open whether it will pursue another appeal.
• The Baptists’ group BKZW remains under intelligence monitoring for extremism, with a small core membership, significant online reach, and several sites rebranded as “Deutschlands Seelen Gewinnen.”