Tag: germany

Writer C.J. Hopkins Is Ordered To Jail or Pay a Fine For Using Nazi Imagery on Anti-Authoritarianism Book

In a fresh blow to free speech, American satirist and playwright C.J. Hopkins is facing a legal punishment in Germany that could send him to jail for 60 days or slap him with a 3,600 euro fine. The start of this legal tangle is rooted in Hopkins’ critique of the German health minister and using an almost invisible image of a swastika on a mask in a book, all in an attempt to lampoon the worldwide response to the global pandemic crisis.

Hopkins was charged with disseminating propaganda contents intended to further the objectives of an erstwhile National Socialist organization.

The judge, who had already rejected Hopkins’ free speech argument, delivered the punishment order, given the case’s non-jury misdemeanor status. As reported by Racket, Hopkins will, however, have the opportunity to argue for mitigation, though judgment has already been passed.

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Germany’s new whistleblower law ‘risks return to Stasi era’

Germany is quietly building a “huge surveillance apparatus” that risks creating a denunciation culture similar to those of the Nazis and the Stasi, one of the country’s leading historians has claimed.

Hubertus Knabe claimed Berlin was setting up a sprawling system of “tip-off points” inside companies and in government authorities that will facilitate people snitching on co-workers, and was doing so “unnoticed by the public”.

Germany’s “whistleblower protection law” came into force in July with the stated purpose of protecting people who report on workplace abuses. All companies with more than 49 members of staff must set up an office where staff can anonymously report on suspected abuses of the law without fear of retribution.

But according to Mr Knabe, who ran the Hohenschönhausen Memorial on the site of the Stasi’s political prison in Berlin for close to two decades, the law is more far-reaching than simple whistleblower protection.

“The tip-off points won’t only pursue suspicions of criminality, they will also deal with misdemeanours subject to fines,” he wrote in an article for Germany’s Die Welt newspaper this week. “They will even be responsible for statements by officials that ‘constitute a violation of the obligation of loyalty to the constitution’.” 

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German Govt Okays Plan To Legalise Recreational Cannabis

The German government approved a draft law Wednesday legalising the purchase and possession of small amounts of cannabis for recreational use, despite criticism from opposition politicians and judges.

The bill, which still needs to go through parliament, would allow adults to possess up to 25 grams (0.9 ounces) of cannabis and grow up to three plants for personal use.

People will also be allowed to join non-profit “cannabis clubs” of up to 500 members where the drug can be legally cultivated and purchased.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach called the draft law “a turning point” in Germany’s attitude towards cannabis.

The more relaxed approach would crack down on the black market and drug-related crime, ease the burden on law enforcement and allow for safer consumption of marijuana, he said in a statement.

Minors will still be prohibited from using the drug, and the government will launch a campaign warning of the health risks for young people especially, he added.

“Nobody should misunderstand the law. Cannabis use will be legalised. But it’s still dangerous,” Lauterbach said.

The proposed legislation is a flagship project of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition and would leave Germany with one of the most liberal cannabis policies in Europe.

But the draft law is less ambitious than what was originally envisioned.

Plans to allow the widespread sale of cannabis in licensed stores were dropped in April after the European Commission raised concerns.

With its current plan, Germany’s coalition government has taken “a significant step towards a progressive, realistic drug policy”, said Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir.

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GERMANY: Sex Education Group Recommends Daycares Create “Sexual Games” and Nude “Exploration Rooms”

Germany’s leading professional association on sexuality and partnership, Pro Familia, is under fire after issuing a recommendation that daycares implement “body exploration rooms” and “sexual games” for young children.

The issue first came to light when news outlet BILD revealed that parents were sent an e-mail from an Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) daycare center in the Hanover region which presented a list of ten rules explaining how children in the “body exploration room” would be encouraged to “pet and examine” themselves and other children.

“All children, especially preschoolers, are aware of the places in the facility where nudity and body exploration can take place,” reads the message. “Each child decides for themselves whether and with whom they want to play physical and sexual games. Girls and boys pet and examine each other only as much as is comfortable for themselves and other children.”

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Sucharit Bhakdi & the prosecution of “thought crime”

Eminent and influential “covid” skeptic Dr Sucharit Bhakdi is about to be prosecuted tomorrow, May 23, under German law for:

  1. having incited hatred against a religious group and attacked the human dignity of others by insulting and maliciously disparaging that religious group, while acting in concert in a manner likely to disturb the public peace; and
  2. having publicly trivialized an act committed under the rule of National Socialism of the kind described in Section 6 (1) of the International Criminal Code in a manner likely to disturb public peace.

Now you may or may not agree with Bhakdi’s statements regarding the Jews and Israel. It’s your free right to do either.

You might think he doesn’t go far enough in condemning Israel, or you might think he goes too far. You might think he expressed himself clumsily and without due regard for the difference between Jewish people and the arguably criminal Israeli state. You might think it’s a stretch to describe modern Israel as “worse” than the Nazis, or you might think it’s more than accurate.

But all of that is missing the real point, which is – Bhakdi is being prosecuted for expressing an opinion.

That’s all.

Despite the weasel wording of the accusation, he wasn’t calling for or threatening acts of violence, he wasn’t even “acting in concert” to “disturb the peace” – he was just telling people what he thought.

The real question here isn’t do you agree with him, it’s do you, or any of us, want to live in a world in which a person can be penalized by the state, fined or put in prison, for the thoughts in their head?

For thought crime?

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Germany Rejects Cluster Bombs For Ukraine As Clip Surfaces Of Biden Admin Previously Calling Them A ‘War Crime’

In light of the Biden White House approving cluster bombs for Ukraine, under the justification that ‘but Russia used them first’, below is a quick trip down memory lane…

First, here is then White House press secretary Jen Psaki unequivocally condemning the use of cluster munitions as a potential “war crime” in 2022. The implication behind the exchange is that only the “bad guys” use them…

Next, below is a lengthy letter from top-ranking Congressional Democrats in a 2013 written to then President Barack Obama highlighting the evils of cluster bombs, explaining they are “indiscriminate, unreliable and pose an unacceptable danger to US forces and civilians alike.”

The letter emphasized they “cause unintended harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, in many cases long after the cessation of hostilities,” and also recalled that “During Operation Desert Storm, US-dropped cluster submutnions caused more US troops casualties than any single Iraqi weapon system.”

Back when Democrats were outraged over cluster bombs and the potential for war crimes and indiscriminate killing…

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Germany Fines Woman For Saying Russia Isn’t ‘Aggressor’ And Invasion Of Ukraine Was ‘Necessary’

A Ukrainian national living in the western German city of Cologne has been ordered to pay a fine of around $964 (€900) for making comments in support of Russia’s brazen invasion of Ukraine.

Elena Kolbasnikova — a prominent face among people who support Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany — “posed a threat to public peace” by delivering a speech at a pro-Russian protest, a court in Cologne said Tuesday while issuing the verdict.

During a protest held last year, Kolbasnikova reportedly said the invasion of Ukraine was “necessary” and also told a television channel that “Russia is not an aggressor,” German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.

A judge ruled that these comments by the 48-year-old woman were enough evidence to show that she had violated German laws. The woman “endorsed and supported” the Russian war “in a way that was perceptible to others,” the judge said, according to The Telegraph.

Kolbasnikova, nicknamed “Putin‘s fangirl” by German media, was facing a possible prison sentence of up to three years in Germany or a heavy fine. However, the judge only issued the fine after considering the fact that the mother-of-two was unemployed.

The state broadcaster called the fine lenient.

After the sentencing, Kolbasnikova said she was “innocent.”

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German Police Investigate Roger Waters Over Nazi-Like Costume

German police are investigating Roger Waters after the former Pink Floyd frontman wore a Nazi-inspired costume during his recent performance in Berlin.

The concert in question took place on May 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Waters, who has become a lightning rod of controversy thanks to his outspoken opposition of Israel, wore an SS-style uniform during his performance of “In the Flesh.” His attire included a long leather jacket, gloves and a seemingly Nazi-inspired red armband, which featured a crossed-hammers symbol, rather than a swastika.

As Waters performed, an inflatable pig – adorned with graffiti including a Star of David – floated above the audience. On large screens, the names of famous victims of persecution were shown, among them, Anne Frank.

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No Conspiracy: Left & Right Working Together

The Washington Post (WaPo) pushed several conspiracy theories in their recent piece alleging that “Kremlin tries to build antiwar coalition in Germany, documents show”. Citing what they claim to be “a trove of sensitive Russian documents largely dated from July to November that were obtained by a European intelligence service”, WaPo reported that elements within Germany’s left-aligned Die Linke and its right-leaning AfD are cooperating due to some shadowy Kremlin plot.

All three parties denied this accusation, which builds upon Reuters’ similarly conspiratorial report from early January alleging that “Pro-Putin operatives in Germany work to turn Berlin against Ukraine”. Taken together, these two articles can be interpreted as part of a wider information warfare offensive aimed at discrediting the natural trend of political forces pragmatically putting aside their differences on specific issues in order to cooperate on shared ones like ending NATO’s proxy war on Russia through Ukraine.

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Legacy Media in Shock as Award-Winning Progressive Blogger Found to Have Never Existed

Germany’s legacy media are in shock after it was found that an award-winning progressive blogger they heaped repeated praise on never actually existed.

Julia “Jule Stinkesocke” Gothe — a paraplegic pediatrician in Hamburg — is a famous blogger in Germany who has repeatedly received awards for her writings on progressive issues ranging from green politics to disability activism.

Operating since 2009, her work has earned her many accolades, with German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle awarding her for running the best German-language blog in 2012.

However, it now appears that the famous blogger never existed in the first place.

According to a report by Bild, numerous inconsistencies with Gothe’s life story have been creeping up over the last number of years, prompting some netizens to question the reality behind the allegedly disabled blogger’s online presence.

Alarm bells however really started to go off after one teacher in the country found that all of the pictures allegedly depicting “Gothe” were actually of Kylie Harris, who is described as being a relatively unknown pornstar from Australia.

From there, it was soon revealed that out of the many progressive causes, Gothe had gotten involved with, nobody claimed to have actually met her in person.

Even when she would win awards, the blogger would reportedly never attend the event in person, and would often only communicate with various activists through a third party.

None of these groups or publications appear to have made an attempt to try and independently verify Gothe’s identity before this point.

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