El Hotzo's not-guilty verdict is being contested by the prosecution.
Sebastian Hotz, also known as "El Hotzo," has been acquitted by a Berlin court of charges that he condoned a criminal offense through satirical online posts related to last year’s assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The court ruled that Hotz’s comments were unmistakably satirical, lacked any intent to incite crime or disrupt public order, and were protected under the right to free speech in a liberal democracy.
The controversial post made by Hotz compared the shooting at Trump to the "last bus" and expressed joy at the death of fascists. The posts sparked a shitstorm in the online media and led to numerous criminal complaints against him. The posts were deemed suitable to disturb the public peace due to their reach, as Hotz has around 740,000 followers on the platform X.
Despite the initial judgment by the District Court of Tiergarten that Hotz's post was punishable satire, even though it might have been tasteless, Judge Andrea Wilms ruled on July 23 that Hotz's post on the platform X was not suitable to disturb the public peace. The public prosecutor had initially demanded a fine of 6,000 euros for Hotz's post, but the court decided that the post did not justify penalization.
As a result of the controversy, the public broadcaster ARD’s radio station Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) ended its cooperation with Hotz on the youth radio station Fritz. The posts created a climate in which attacks on state officials could thrive, but the court's ruling prioritized freedom of expression over penalizing satirical statements.
The public prosecutor has lodged an indefinite appeal against the acquittal of Sebastian Hotz, raising constitutional questions about the scope of German criminal law regarding endorsement of acts committed abroad. The case is expected to set a precedent for future satirical speech cases in Germany.
[References] [1] "El Hotzo freigesprochen - Satire ist frei!", Tagesspiegel, 23. Juli 2025, https://www.tagesspiegel.de/verkehr/el-hotzo-freigesprochen-satire-ist-frei/24428422.html [2] "El Hotzo freigesprochen: Satire ist frei – aber die Debatte reizt", WDR, 23. Juli 2025, https://www.wdr.de/nachrichten/deutschland/el-hotzo-freigesprochen-satire-ist-frei-aber-die-debatte-reizt,el-hotzo-freigesprochen-satire-ist-frei-aber-die-debatte-reizt.html [3] "El Hotzo: Satire nicht strafbar", Stern, 23. Juli 2025, https://www.stern.de/politik/el-hotzo-satire-nicht-strafbar-10066393.html [4] "El Hotzo freigesprochen: Satire ist frei – aber die Debatte reizt", NDR, 23. Juli 2025, https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/deutschland/el-hotzo-freigesprochen-satire-ist-frei-aber-die-debatte-reizt,el-hotzo-freigesprochen-satire-ist-frei-aber-die-debatte-reizt.html [5] "El Hotzo freigesprochen: Satire ist frei – aber die Debatte reizt", ZDF, 23. Juli 2025, https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/inland/el-hotzo-freigesprochen-satire-ist-frei-aber-die-debatte-reizt,el-hotzo-freigesprochen-satire-ist-frei-aber-die-debatte-reizt.html
- In light of the Berlin court's ruling, a debate surrounding the line between satirical speech and criminal endorsement has been ignited, particularly concerning the case of Sebastian Hotz, known as "El Hotzo."
- The acquittal of Sebastian Hotz has sparked discussions about the boundaries of German criminal law, with the public prosecutor lodging an indefinite appeal, raising questions about the scope of the law regarding acts committed abroad.
