Overview
- The state parliament approved the move on November 18 in Hanover, enabling criminal proceedings to continue and allowing several inquiries to be merged.
- Investigators cite suspected Volksverhetzung, injurious insult and insult tied to posts from August 2024 to February 2025 on X, with earlier probes also noting possible dangerous dissemination of personal data.
- Allegations include labeling the rainbow flag a symbol of pedophile lobby groups and using demeaning language about queer people, including specific attacks on members of a queer network.
- Behrendt rejects the accusations as politically motivated and calls a potential indictment a farce, and no formal charge has been filed to date.
- The AfD caucus abstained from the vote, while SPD and Green lawmakers condemned the alleged statements and said a mandate does not excuse defamatory speech.