El Hotzo's not-guilty verdict is rejected by the prosecution.
Comedian Sebastian Hotz, known as El Hotzo, faced legal proceedings over controversial comments made about the shooting at a Donald Trump campaign rally in July 2024. Despite the initial acquittal by the District Court of Tiergarten, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Berlin has lodged an appeal against the ruling.
Hotz's comments, made on social media platform X, were considered suitable to disturb the public peace due to their reach, as he has around 740,000 followers. The posts fell under the so-called hate crime category and created a climate that could potentially foster attacks on state officials.
In his comments, Hotz compared the shots at Trump to the "last bus" and stated, "I find it absolutely fantastic when fascists die." The public prosecutor initially demanded a fine of €6,000 for Hotz's post, but it is unclear if this demand still stands.
However, the District Court of Tiergarten ruled on 23 July that Hotz's post was "punishable satire", although it might have been tasteless. The court found no legal basis for punishment or fines, and as a result, there are currently no legal sanctions in place against Hotz.
The attack on Trump resulted in one death and two injuries, and a shitstorm broke out in the online media, with numerous criminal complaints against Hotz. The comedian deleted the controversial contributions shortly after they were posted.
Following the acquittal, the public broadcaster ARD's radio station Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) ended its cooperation with Hotz at the youth radio station Fritz. The acquittal means no fines were imposed, and currently, no legal sanctions are in place against Hotz.
The public prosecutor has lodged an "indefinite appeal" against the acquittal, and the further procedure depends on the written reasoning of the judgment. The appeal is ongoing.
[1] https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/el-hotzo-wird-von-berlin-staatsanwaltschaft-geklagt/26672568.html [2] https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2025-07/el-hotzo-komiker-donald-trump-attentat-freispruch [3] https://www.welt.de/kultur/article217697812/El-Hotzo-und-der-Trump-Attentat-Komiker-freigesprochen.html [4] https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/tv/el-hotzo-freigesprochen-komiker-verurteilt-nicht-zu-zuchthaus-a-1277136.html [5] https://www.n-tv.de/politik/El-Hotzo-freigesprochen-Berlin-Komiker-El-Hotzo-freigesprochen-über-Trump-Attentat-article23534064.html
- The acquittal of comedian Sebastian Hotz, also known as El Hotzo, who compared the shooting at a Donald Trump campaign rally to a "last bus" and expressed joy about the death of fascists, did not stop the Public Prosecutor's Office in Berlin from lodging an appeal against the ruling, as his comments were considered a hate crime with potential to promote hostility towards state officials.
- Despite the ongoing appeal by the public prosecutor, El Hotz's comments, made on social media platform X, with around 740,000 followers, were initially ruled as "punishable satire" by the District Court of Tiergarten, which means that currently, no legal sanctions are in place against Hotz.
