German court sentences journalist for meme
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sued over a picture that claimed she “hates freedom of expression”

 

Es ist das erste Mal in der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik: Journalist droht Gefängnis wegen satirischer „Politiker-Verleumdung“!

 

A German district court has sentenced David Bendels, editor-in-chief of the conservative publication Deutschland-Kurier, to a suspended seven-month prison term for defaming Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser through a satirical meme.

The controversial meme, posted on Deutschland-Kurier’s X account in February 2024, showed Faeser holding a sign altered to read: “I hate freedom of expression.” The original photo featured the phrase “We Remember,”part of a Holocaust remembrance campaign. Faeser’s legal team filed a criminal complaint, which led to a fine and Monday’s sentencing by the Bamberg District Court in Upper Franconia, Bavaria.

The court found Bendels guilty under Section 188 of the German Criminal Code – a rarely invoked provision sometimes referred to as the “lese-majeste” or “injured majesty” law – which penalizes defamation of public officials, Deutschland-Kurier reported.

Noting that Bendels had no prior criminal record, the court suspended the sentence and placed him on two years’ probation. It also reportedly ordered him to issue a written apology to Faeser.

Bendels and his legal team have vowed to appeal the verdict, arguing that the meme was protected under the rights to freedom of expression and the press. They claim the case sets a troubling precedent for journalistic freedom in Germany.

“We will not accept this verdict and will challenge it by all legal means,” Bendels said. “Deutschland-Kurier and I will personally continue the fight for freedom of the press and expression – firmly, consistently, and with all consequences necessary for the continuation of democracy in Germany.”

READ MORE: Vance blasts ‘Orwellian’ German laws

Earlier this year, US Vice President J.D. Vance criticized what he called “Orwellian” German speech laws, referring to an interview with three German state prosecutors who explained that insulting someone in public or online is a punishable offense. The interview, aired by CBS, was recorded amid a wave of coordinated police raids across Germany targeting more than 50 individuals accused of spreading hate speech online.

https://www.rt.com/news/615369-germany-journalist-sentenced-meme/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

For the first time in the Federal Republic of Germany, a journalist faces prison for alleged "defamation of politicians." The Bamberg District Court (Upper Franconia/Bavaria) sentenced the publisher and editor-in-chief of Deutschland-Kurier, David Bendels, to a suspended prison sentence of seven months on Monday (April 7, 2025) for publishing a satirical Faeser meme.

Because Bendels has no prior criminal record, the sentence was suspended for two years. The first-instance ruling is not yet final.

The court found that the offense of "defamation against political figures" under the so-called "lese majeste" paragraph 188 of the Criminal Code (StGB) had been committed. The presiding judge even demanded that Bendels submit a written apology to Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD).

Trial observers speak of politically motivated verdict

According to independent trial observers, the verdict can be classified as clearly politically motivated. It clearly aims to intimidate critical journalists and suppress unpopular opinions.

David Bendels and his lawyers announced their intention to appeal the Bamberg court's ruling. The proceedings, which have been ongoing for almost a year and center on a satirical photomontage (meme) featuring Faeser's statement "I hate freedom of expression!", will therefore continue.

David Bendels: "I'll keep fighting!"

DK editor-in-chief David Bendels announced in an initial reaction to the verdict: "We will not accept this verdict and will defend ourselves against it with all legal means. The Deutschland-Kurier and I personally will continue the just fight for freedom of the press and freedom of expression, which is essential for the continued existence of democracy in Germany, resolutely, steadily, and with all consistency."

Faeser filed a criminal complaint

The proceedings concern a satirical photomontage (meme) that critically addresses the strained relationship of former Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) with freedom of the press and freedom of expression. The article was published in February 2024 on the Deutschland-Kurier's X page (formerly Twitter). Faeser subsequently filed a criminal complaint against David Bendels, the editor-in-chief of the Deutschland-Kurier responsible for press law.

Top lawyers consider the article unproblematic

According to leading constitutional and media lawyers, the satirical article is clearly protected by both freedom of the press and freedom of expression and by the established jurisprudence of the Federal Constitutional Court. Among others, the renowned constitutional lawyer, former Federal Minister Rupert Scholz (CDU), and the Hamburg media lawyer Joachim Steinhöfel consider the publication unproblematic. Nevertheless, on November 5, 2024, the Bamberg judiciary, which had made national headlines due to the so-called "idiot" affair and in whose catchment area Bendels also happens to have his private residence, issued a penal order for the unusually high amount of 210 daily rates.

The Bamberg District Court based its ruling, now handed down in the main hearing, on the – from the perspective of Bendels and his lawyers – absurd assumption that the publication in the Deutschland-Kurier newspaper created the impression that Faeser had actually carried a placard reading "I hate freedom of expression!" This constitutes the criminal offense of "defamation of politicians" in conjunction with Section 188 of the Criminal Code, which was tightened four years ago.

Court rejects defense motion

During the trial, the defense expressed considerable doubts as to whether the so-called "lese majeste" provision was compatible with the Basic Law, particularly with regard to Article 5 (freedom of the press and freedom of expression). The defense's motion to submit this issue to the Federal Constitutional Court for review was rejected by the court as unfounded.

 

https://deutschlandkurier.de/2025/04/es-ist-das-erste-mal-in-der-geschichte-der-bundesrepublik-journalist-droht-gefaengnis-wegen-satirischer-politiker-verleumdung/

The Russian ambassador to Berlin, Sergei J. Nechayev, has described Europe's planned military spending as a security risk for his country. In the NDR documentary "Fear of War: The Germans at a Turning Point," the diplomat warned in a conversation with TV journalist Anne Will that Europe was "a kind of war party because the militarization of Western Europe is in full swing."

When asked about the relationship between Germans and Russians, the ambassador said: "We don't consider ourselves to be in a state of war. Not yet. I don't know if it will come to that."

Nechayev explained the concern allegedly expressed by many Germans, repeatedly asserted by politicians and the media, that Russia could attack another country after Ukraine: "Because people are infected by a militaristic psychosis, which is being escalated in various European countries like never before."

The NDR documentary will be broadcast on Monday (April 7) at 8:15 p.m. on Das Erste and can also be accessed in the ARD Mediathek.

https://deutschlandkurier.de/2025/04/russlands-botschafter-sind-nicht-im-krieg-mit-deutschland-bis-jetzt-nicht/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

 

Annalena Baerbock as a UN diplomat: Does Germany want to further damage itself internationally?

by Michael von der Schulenburg and Hans-Christof von Sponeck*

 

Germany once had a very good international reputation in the United Nations (UN). Our country played an active role in the further development of international law, for example in the adoption of the Conventions on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; in the Convention against Torture; and of course, in the Women’s Rights Convention.
  Germany is the fourth largest contributor to the United Nations. Germany also makes large voluntary contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions. The UN General Assembly has welcomed by a large majority the willingness of the German government to take the lead on United Nations reforms in cooperation with the government of Namibia. This cooperation enabled the UN General Assembly to adopt a pact for the future of the United Nations in September 2024.

In terms of foreign policy, Baerbock has left a lot of blood on the carpet

Nevertheless, Germany’s image worldwide is no longer one that does us honour. Time and again, the outgoing government has shown no backbone in terms of UN Charter law and the Geneva Conventions, in its reactions to the major crises of our time, particularly the war in Ukraine and the asymmetrical conflict between Palestine and Israel.
  The one-sidedness of German policy in its statements has repeatedly been met with incomprehension at home – and even more so abroad. At a major international conference in Istanbul in 2023, in discussions with two former foreign ministers, one from the Middle East and another from Europe, we were told how disappointed they were with German foreign policy.
  As former long-standing employees of the United Nations, we have a large network of global contacts. What is important, however, is that these show time and again that German foreign policy has relegated us to a narrow track. Germany continues to lose prestige and influence in Europe and the world.
  “Foreign policy is made in the Chancellery”, SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich once said. Nothing has come of this. The foreign policy China shop was smashed by department minister Annalena Baerbock. In the words of Jeffrey Sachs, the well-known former professor at Columbia University and advisor to three UN Secretaries-General: “Baerbock is a warmonger. I can’t believe what comes out of her mouth.” Sachs reminded the audience that as a diplomat, a foreign minister must be prepared to talk to everyone.1 But Baerbock’s public behaviour has shown time and again that she is not prepared to do so.
  She does not want to support the reduction of tensions or peace negotiations with a willingness to compromise. She is anything but a bridge-builder. Ms Baerbock has repeatedly shown that she does not understand international law and the spirit and ethics of the United Nations Charter. She has proved this with statements such as: We have to harm Russia so much that “economically, it won’t get back on its feet for years,” and regarding Ukraine: “We’ll stand by you as long as you need us, no matter what my German voters think.”

Other countries do not want to be lectured by Germany

For Baerbock, “peace through strength” means military security, not human security, as repeatedly called for by the United Nations, particularly by the children’s charity UNICEF, the UNDP development programme, the World Food Programme (WFP) and, of course, by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
  There is no need to emphasise that the still Foreign Minister has caused considerable damage to Germany and Europe through her many trips, most of which have been unsuccessful in terms of international relations. The governments of countries such as India, China and Malaysia, as well as others, have confirmed to the German Foreign Minister during her visits that her attempts to lecture and her know-it-all attitude are not welcome.
  Why are we pointing this out? Because we do not understand why the outgoing German government favours Annalena Baerbock for the post of President of the UN General Assembly for 2025/26 instead of Helga Schmid, despite her inferior work. Annalena Baerbock has neither multilateral nor bilateral experience, while Helga Schmid, as former Secretary General of the OSCE and diplomat in leading positions in the Federal Foreign Office, has exactly the experience that is urgently needed in the United Nations.
  We believe that the new government should seriously consider how Germany can adequately fill the important position of President of the UN General Assembly in order to avoid further damage to our reputation in the world. And this at a time when many governments – especially in the non-Western world – and non-governmental organisations are campaigning for a more just and multilateral new order, as envisaged in the UN Covenant for the Future of the United Nations. •

https://www.zeit-fragen.ch/en/archives/2025/nr-8-1-april-2025/annalena-baerbock-als-un-diplomatin-will-deutschland-sich-international-weiter-schaden

 

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

SEE ALSO: 

peace is vanishing in germany....

Here’s how the EU system rewards high officials for failure
The blatant incompetence shown by former German Foreign Minister Annalena ‘360 degrees’ Baerbock has earned her a cushy new UN General Assembly post...

 

BY Rachel Marsden

 

Every circus needs a clown. And this one has a truly awesome demo reel. 

Despite the Greens snagging 85 seats in the current German parliament, it turns out they’re about as useful to Friedrich Merz’s shiny new right-left establishment coalition with the Christian Democrats as a vegan menu at Oktoberfest. So they’re relegated to chilling on the Bundestag backbenches.

Annalena Baerbock, the former German Foreign Affairs Minister in ex-Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, could have coasted into parliament again via the Greens’ party list, even after losing her direct seat to Scholz himself. But she apparently had bigger plans. She’s just been tapped as the next President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Before officially packing up at the Foreign Ministry, her own department nominated her for the UN gig – an administrative role, largely ceremonial. Why her? Well, it’s Germany’s turn to fill the seat for a year starting in September, and a career diplomat was reportedly first in line. You know, someone who hadn’t become globally famous for flunking basic geometry. And well, that just can’t stand. Not when the face of German diplomacy is no longer being kept by German voters in the manner to which she has become accustomed.

Besides, just check out this CV.

In a moment that will live in infamy alongside Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, MLK’s “I Have a Dream,”Pericles’ Funeral Oration, and Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches,” Baerbock took the spotlight at the 2023 Munich Security Conference. Asked whether Ukraine would be safe long-term if Vladimir Putin stayed in power in Russia, she replied: “If Putin doesn’t change by 360 degrees, no.”

Apparently, she thinks a dizzy Putin would make all the difference. Perhaps it’s not the first time that Baerbock, a former gymnast, confused a 360 with a 180, and landed on her head at some point. Either way, German school-kids usually master this concept by age 10.

In another Baerbockism, during a January 2023 speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, she said: “We are fighting a war against Russia and not against each other.” Cue her foreign ministry hastily clarifying that no, of course Germany hadn’t just declared war on Russia. It was just Baerbock talking again.

With all this experience as Germany’s walking, talking diplomatic banana peel, she was clearly destined for bigger things on the world stage. So who could possibly object to shipping her off to the UN?

Well, this guy, for one: “It is outrageous to replace the best and most internationally experienced German diplomat with an outdated model,” grumbled Christoph Heusgen, former chair of the Munich Security Conference, referring to career diplomat, Helga Schmid, reportedly slidelined in favor of Baerbock.

An outdated model? Bold words, Mr. Former Conference Chair! Excuse you, but trusty single-cylinder moped-grade intellectualism never truly goes out of style.

“Ms. Baerbock can learn a lot from [Schmid],” said former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. What’s he suggesting? That Schmid moonlights as a geometry tutor?

So that makes two critics, including one who previously held Baerbock’s job. But surely these bitter old guys are alone in their skepticism towards this pioneer of feminist foreign policy.

No doubt it’s just a coincidence that “Mr. Eighteen Percent Popularity” Scholz beat her in her own riding. And that Statista pegged her approval rating at -0.7 on a scale from -5 to 5. And who really cares about that time she sounded kind of like she was unilaterally declaring war on Russia on behalf of Germany, or when she seemed unsure which country she was representing.

Like at a September 2022 forum when she said: “If I give the promise to people in Ukraine – ‘We stand with you, as long as you need us’ – then I want to deliver. No matter what my German voters think.” At the time, Germany was deindustrializing and its citizens were being crushed by energy costs. Both consequences of the very Ukraine policy Baerbock was committed to, with or without voter consent, as she suggested.

But look, Baerbock isn’t the only politician to turn a domestic faceplant into a corner office with a view at Global Governance Inc. Take European Commission President ‘Queen’ Ursula von der Leyen. No, please, take her, as former Chancellor Angela Merkel would say.

Before becoming the unelected President of the European Commission, von der Leyen served as Germany’s Defence Minister in Merkel’s government from 2013 to 2019. Known more for glamour shots in front of jets than for actually equipping them, her ministry apparently favored pricey consultants over functionality. One report noted: “There is neither enough personnel nor material, and often one confronts shortage upon shortage. The troops are far from being fully equipped.” Well, unless you count the broomsticks reportedly used during training exercises, and possibly sourced from Ursula’s personal garage.

Former European Parliament President Martin Schulz offered this glowing review of the current de facto Queen of the EU: “One thing is true, she ran in 2019 – but not for the European Parliament, but she ran away from her ministry in Germany.” He also tweeted in 2019: “Von der Leyen is our weakest minister. That’s apparently enough to become Commission president.”

Apparently, flunking your domestic portfolio is the new fast track to international prestige.

Just ask Mark Rutte. The Dutch Prime Minister became so politically radioactive that his coalition partners were getting scorched by mere proximity. He resigned twice: first over a child welfare scandal, then after failing to maintain unity on asylum policy. His solution? Bail and become NATO’s new Secretary General – essentially, the West’s chief weapons lobbyist.

Or consider Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. Her Reform Party slipped to third place under her leadership, dropping below 20 percent approval. As her coalition sank, she jumped ship and landed in Brussels as the EU’s chief diplomat. Voters back home were apparently less impressed, especially after her government’s tax hikes and perceived focus on Ukraine over Estonia.

Even more awkward: while Kallas was calling for Europe to cut all ties with Russia, her husband’s company, Stark Logistics, was still doing business there. But apparently, that kind of conflict of interest now screams “diplomatic credentials.”

So no, Baerbock’s story isn’t a bug in the system. It’s effectively the blueprint. The fall from grace at home just gives more momentum for the launch to cushy international posts. The moral of the story is clear: stumble locally, ascend globally. Even if your personal GPS is so busted that you can’t tell a U-turn from a 360.

https://www.rt.com/news/618603-germany-baerbock-unga-failure/

 

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Germany's Baerbock elected as UN General Assembly head
Kalika Mehta | Timothy Jones dpa, AFP, Reuters, AP, epd, KNA

Former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was voted in as president of the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, Germany's tough migration policy has been dealt a setback in court. DW has more.

Ukrainian UN envoy hopeful of Baerbock's influence to stop war

The Ukrainian representative to the United Nations, Andrii Melnyk, has told DW that he is hopeful new UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock will be able to use new position to bring an end to the war.

"Her record as a foreign minister, personally contributing to the support of Ukraine, also saw Germany as the second biggest, ally of Ukraine in this war," Melnyk told DW.

"I am confident that Annalena Baerbock will pursue the goal of consolidating democratic forces [in Ukraine], strengthening the United Nations, but also helping Ukraine to defend our independence."

Russia has repeatedly vetoed UN Security Council resolutions to condemn the it attempt to annex parts of Ukraine. However, Melnyk is hopeful that with Baerbock at the helm, she could help ensure the UN charter is upheld.

"We think that the General Assembly could play a special role," he added. "Especially in this historic moment. We believed that Annalena Baerbock would be capable to consolidate the support within this important democratic organ.

"We are happy to have a president that understands why the UN charter and why international law should be protected and upheld to to stop the war. This war shall be finished on the principle of UN charter, which is territorial integrity and sovereignty."

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-baerbock-elected-as-un-general-assembly-head/live-72754365

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

Former German Foreign Minister Baerbock starts UN job

BY Jens Thurau

Annalena Baerbock, former Green Party politician and foreign minister, has moved to New York to start her new job on September 9. Not everyone is happy that she will be presiding over the UN General Assembly.

 

Although she lost her post in the German government this year, Annalena Baerbock, the former German foreign minister, will continue to play a prominent role on the world stage.

Until May, when Friedrich Merz  of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was elected as the new German chancellor, the 44-year-old Green Party politician was still Germany's top diplomat. Then, on June 2, she was elected as the new president of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

However, unlike her predecessors, Baerbock was not approved by the customary show of hands to signal unanimous approval, but through a secret ballot. According to diplomats, this procedure had been requested by Russia and was interpreted as a small act of malice, because as foreign minister, Baerbock had always openly criticized Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

In the end, she received 167 of 193 possible votes at the UN's headquarters in New York. Now she will take up her post after having left her seat in the Bundestag.

A position without much publicity

The former Green Party co-leader and chancellor candidate will chair and manage meetings at the UN for the next year. It's a job that doesn't come with much public exposure. Baerbock will hold a lot of closed-door talks on issues to be discussed in the assembly.

In collaboration with the UN ambassadors of the 193 member states, Baerbock will also help prepare for the election of a new UN Secretary-General next year. The current Secretary-General, António Guterres, will remain in office until the end of 2026.

 Criticism from Chancellor Merz

However, as she begins her new role in New York, the Green Party politician has not received congratulations from all the politicians in her home country. At a party conference of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that there will be no "agonizing discussions" in his new government, like those held in recent years "about whatever sort of foreign policy this lady, who is now in New York, might pursue."

Baerbock has indeed often enjoyed taking polarizing stances, not only toward Russia but also toward China.

A member of the former center-left government coalition of Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), who preferred to remain anonymous, told DW that it had always been strange that "the least diplomatic person I know" had become foreign minister.

And Baerbock's nomination for the UN post was not without friction. In March, it became known that the old minority government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz had proposed Baerbock for the job in New York. It had been known for some time that the post was reserved for one of the Western European countries and that Germany was allowed to nominate a candidate.

At the end of March, then government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that Baerbock was "highly qualified for the job." Apparently, the appointment had also been cleared with the future government, in other words, with Merz.

But Germany had originally intended to nominate the highly respected diplomat Helga Schmid to the position in New York. Schmid, born in 1960, has had an exemplary career at the German Foreign Ministry. She was chief-of-staff for another Green Party foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, in office from 1998 to 2005. Later, she was one of the main authors of the nuclear agreement between the EU and other countries with Iran, which was successfully concluded in 2015 but later terminated by US President Donald Trump during his first term in office.

Baerbock now wants to be a unifying force

But then the government changed its mind and nominated Baerbock instead. After her nomination in March, Baerbock said: "As president, if elected, I will serve all 193 Member States — large and small. As an honest broker. As a unifier. With an open ear. And an open door."

A little later, during her last trip abroad as foreign minister, she said on the Danish island of Bornholm: "We are in a situation in which we are more aware than ever before of the importance of our constitution, the Basic Law, the European peace order, and the Charter of the United Nations." The United Nations has been in existence for 80 years, she said, and its values must be defended and upheld every day.

Baerbock's sudden nomination immediately provoked irritation. Criticism was directed at the fact that the outgoing minority government, then only acting in a managing capacity, had rushed through the appointment. In an interview with Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper, Christoph Heusgen, former chairman of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), said it was "an outrage to replace Germany's best and most internationally experienced diplomat with an out-of-date product." As secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Helga Schmid "protected the organization from falling apart," said Heusgen, who served as foreign and security policy advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) for several years.

Later during her visit to Bornholm, Baerbock described her experience serving as foreign minister from December 2021 to May 2025 as an asset. "As foreign minister, I traveled extensively around the world, including to regions that are somewhat further away, such as the Middle East. When I took office, I could not have imagined that I would visit some Gulf states and Arab countries more often than our European EU partners due to the challenging situation in the Middle East. This also creates even stronger ties with these countries."

Now, Baerbock's start at the UN comes at a time when the former Vice Chancellor and Economy MinisterRobert Habeck has also retired from German politics. Having resigned from his seat in the Bundestag, he will now teach at the Copenhagen Institute for International Studies, among other places.

For many years, Baerbock and Habeck were the two leading figures in the Green Party, which now has to reinvent itself as an opposition party.

This article was originally written in German.

https://www.dw.com/en/former-german-foreign-minister-baerbock-starts-un-job/a-73895545

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.