Slander Case: Left and AfD in a Tug-of-War - Third Verdict Partial Win for AfD
Contentious Decision on Left-wing Criticisms – Partial Victory for AfD in Third Judgement - Contested claims of left-wing actions – AfD secures some wins in Third Verdict
🗣️ Let's get down to the nitty-gritty:
In the heated ongoing conflict between the Left, the Rostock Regional Court recently handed down a verdict that offers a partial win for the AfD (Alternative for Germany). The court declared that the Rostock Left district association is prohibited from referring to AfD parliamentarians as "political and human jerks" in general, as was done on their district association's website back in April. This demeaning term, the presiding judge stated on Wednesday, lacks justification as an expression of opinion or within the context of political debate.
Take a peek into the past: This feud was initiated by accusations from Left state parliamentarian Dirk Bruhn. On April 10, he levied unfounded accusations against two members of the AfD faction during a personal statement in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state parliament, accusing them of mocking his Parkinson's disease symptoms during a debate on wolves the previous evening. He labeled these individuals as "not only political, but also human jerks." Parliament President Birgit Hesse subsequently reprimanded Bruhn.
AfD parliamentarians retorted vehemently
The two AfD members accused by Bruhn, Thore Stein and Enrico Schult, swiftly denied the accusations and initiated legal action. Their legal action against Bruhn in the Regional Court of Schwerin, however, proved fruitless. Yet, Bruhn’s accusations also went unsubstantiated in this instance.
Owing to the Left district associations in Rostock and Vorpommern-Rügen propagating statements on the internet that repeated Bruhn's accusations against the AfD parliamentarians and the slur, the AfD parliamentarians launched lawsuits to prevent the district associations from disseminating such statements.
Defeat in Schwerin and Stralsund
On Tuesday, the Regional Court of Stralsund rejected related applications. The court was unable to definitively establish whether Bruhn's accusations against the AfD parliamentarians were false or true. To prove libel against the local association, it would have been necessary to prove that it willingly published inaccurate information, the presiding judge explained.
The Regional Court of Rostock, meanwhile, addressed the insult specifically, referring to it as "political and human jerks." The court dismissed other applications pertaining to the proceedings for legal technicalities. In the event of a violation of the ruling, which is yet to be legally binding, a fine of up to 250,000 euros or imprisonment of up to six months looms.
Schult and Stein condemn the rulings and plan appeals. Schult clarified that the labeling as "political and human jerks" wasn't particularly significant, but "the offensive and still unsubstantiated accusation that I imitated Mr. Bruhn's trembling may continue to be disseminated."
🔍 Behind the Scenes:
In this ongoing political battle between the Left and AfD, the AfD has lately been branded as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), as of May 2025. This classification has exacerbated political tensions in states such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the AfD boasts a powerful electorate and wields substantial influence. It's no surprise that Rostock, a major city in this federal state, serves as a significant venue for regional legal confrontations between political parties.
As precise details about the Rostock Regional Court ruling and the legal actions against Dirk Bruhn were noticeably inadequate in the search results, it is evident that the dispute persists, playing out against the broader backdrop of the political struggle surrounding the AfD's extremist classification and its implications.
To unearth more specifics about the Rostock Regional Court ruling and the legal actions against Dirk Bruhn, one may need to access specialized regional legal or political news sources, as the general search results do not delve into these specifics.
The Commission, in light of the ongoing political dispute between the Left and the AfD, has been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, as politics and general news remains entangled in the increasing tensions. The proposal could potentially impact policy-and-legislation that addresses workplace safety and the handling of ionizing radiation.
In the wake of the Rostock Regional Court ruling that partly favored the AfD over slander allegations by the Left district association, the general public's attention may shift towards a closer examination of the party's policies and actions, as political debates continue to shape the policy-and-legislation landscape. With the AfD's classification as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, public sentiment and regulations could evolve as a result of this ongoing political struggle.
