El Hotzo's acquittal will be rejected by the prosecution.
Sebastian Hotz, known as El Hotzo, found himself at the centre of a legal controversy in Germany after making satirical posts about a failed assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump. The posts, made on social media platform X, were initially met with controversy and around 50 complaints.
One of Hotz's controversial remarks was a joke comparing the shots at Trump to a missed "last bus," stating that both were "unfortunately just missed." This comment, while humorous in nature, was seen as inappropriate by many.
As a result of the posts, Hotz faced charges under Section 140 of the German Criminal Code, which criminalizes condoning criminal offenses. The public prosecutor's office in Berlin lodged an "indefinite appeal" against his acquittal by the District Court of Tiergarten, meaning the case will be re-examined by a higher court.
The presiding judge, Andrea Wilms, ruled that Hotz's posts were unmistakably satirical, with no intent to incite violence or disrupt public order. However, she acknowledged the tastelessness of the comments. After the acquittal, a controversy arose because the judge had ties to a left-wing foundation, prompting accusations of bias.
Despite the initial acquittal, Hotz's posts were considered capable of creating a climate that could encourage attacks on state officials. The posts were deemed inappropriate, although they were classified as satire. The public prosecutor had demanded a fine of 6,000 euros for Hotz's posts.
The attack on Trump in Pennsylvania occurred in mid-July 2024, resulting in one death and two injuries. The attacker was killed by security forces. The further procedure of the public prosecutor depends on the written grounds for the decision.
The controversy surrounding Hotz's posts led to the end of his cooperation with the public broadcaster ARD station Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) on the youth radio station Fritz. The public outcry and criminal complaints against him caused a "shitstorm" in the online media.
Hotz, who has around 740,000 followers on X, stated, "I find it absolutely fantastic when fascists die." This remark added fuel to the controversy surrounding his posts.
[1] Berliner Morgenpost [2] Tagesspiegel [3] Spiegel Online
- Following the re-examination of Sebastian Hotz's case by a higher court, multiple German news outlets, including Berliner Morgenpost, Tagesspiegel, and Spiegel Online, covered the ongoing debate about the intersection of politics, policy-and-legislation, and crime-and-justice, focusing on the contentious nature of Hotz's satirical posts and the implications for free speech.
- As part of the general news coverage of the controversy surrounding Sebastian Hotz's satirical posts, matters of politics and policy-and-legislation have become intertwined with issues of radio broadcasting, as Hotz's cooperation with ARD station Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) on the youth radio station Fritz came to an end due to the public outcry and criminal complaints against him.
