Slander Allegations: Left vs AfD - Third Ruling Favors AfD in Tussle over Insults
Ongoing debate over left-wing accusations yields partial success in court for the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) - Controversy over accusations of progressive actions - Third ruling Delivers mixed victory for AfD
In the ongoing sparring between the Left party and AfD state parliamentarians, the Regional Court in Rostock has come out in support of the AfD. In a recent ruling, the court forbade the Rostock Left district association from describing AfD parliamentarians as "reprehensible politicos and human crap" on their website, due to the lack of justification for such a claim.
The dispute began after an accusation from Left state parliamentarian, Dirk Bruhn, who called two AfD faction members "not only political, but also human crap" following a debate about wolves. The president of the state parliament, Birgit Hesse, promptly reprimanded Bruhn.
The two accused AfD parliamentarians, Thore Stein and Enrico Schult, attempted to sue Bruhn but failed in the Schwerin Regional Court. Yet, Bruhn's accusations were also unverified in the court.
As both the Rostock and Vorpommern-Rügen Left district associations shared statements online echoing Bruhn's accusations, AfD parliamentarians filed lawsuits against the district associations to prevent them from propagating these statements.
In Schwerin and Stralsund, these suits were in vain.
However, the Stralsund Regional Court's verdict stated that it could not definitively determine whether the accusations leveled against the AfD parliamentarians were false or true. In order to prove libel against the local association, one would have had to established malicious intent in spreading false information.
On the other hand, the Rostock Regional Court referred specifically to the insult as "reprehensible politicos and human crap." This ruling denied further applications, but if violated (which is yet to be finalized), penalties of up to €250,000 or six months' imprisonment may be imposed.
Schult and Stein have criticized the rulings and plan to appeal. Schult says the primary concern is not the "political and human crap" label but rather that the unsubstantiated accusation of mimicking Bruhn's symptoms can continue to circulate.
Insight:
/Despite the legal disputes, the AfD continues to face adversity in Germany, with its classification as a right-wing extremist organization by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). The party has encountered numerous challenges, including election losses and the rejection of their attempts to join mainstream European political groups./
- The Rostock Regional Court, in a recent ruling, has barred the Rostock Left district association from labeling AfD parliamentarians as "reprehensible politicos and human crap" on their website, due to insufficient evidence to support such a claim.
- In the ongoing dispute between the Left party and the AfD, the Rostock Regional Court's ruling has favored the AfD, preventing their local opponents from making unsubstantiated accusations that could potentially lead to penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.
