Following the "underworld tasks" testimony, Friedrich Merz's criminal accusation against Didi Hallervorden is withdrawn by the latter.
Komeds Didi Hallervorden and Ex-Left Party MP Diether Dehm Slap Chancellor Friedrich Merz with Criminal Charges
The comedy world has taken a political turn as comedian Didi Hallervorden, ex-Left Party MP Diether Dehm, and about 20 other artists, musicians, and performers joined forces to file a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The tipping point? A seemingly offhand remark Merz made regarding Israel’s involvement in the ongoing Middle East conflict, calling it the "Drecksarbeit" or "dirty work" they do for us all. The ridiculous nickname landed Merz with a wave of public criticism, prompting an official complaint.
The signatories of the complaint argue that Merz's words violate Section 80a of Germany's Criminal Code, which criminalizes "Aufstacheln zu einem Angriffskrieg" or "incitement to an aggressive war" via propaganda that targets and emotionally manipulates audiences. They also suggest that Merz's statement could have severe consequences for populations in Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza. Despite Merz's statement being made abroad, the signatories assert that it aims to affect primarily the German public.
According to the complainants, the phrase "for us all" in Merz's statement reinforces its offensive nature, even considering a narrow legal interpretation. Other allegations leveled against Merz include violation of the idea of international understanding and peace commandments anchored in Germany's Basic Law, although neither violation is punishable.
The signatories go a step further by accusing Merz of employing Nazi-era vocabulary, citing an example from early 1942 when SS-Obersturmführer August Häfner justified a mass shooting of Jewish people using the same phrase he calls "dirty work."
The criminal complaint has been submitted to both the Federal Prosecutor General and Berlin's public prosecutor's office, leaving the fate of Chancellor Merz in their hands. As the case unfolds, it will test Germany's legal framework against incitement to war, political language sensitivity, and Nazi-era vocabulary use.
[1] The legal case hinges on determining whether Merz's statement qualifies as propaganda that could incite aggressive war, an offense criminalized in Germany to protect public order and peace. This case also highlights the sensitivity around political language referencing war and violence in Germany, given its history and legal framework surrounding incitement and Nazi-era vocabulary use.
- The criminal complaint filed against Chancellor Friedrich Merz involves allegations that his comments regarding Israel's involvement in the Middle East conflict, termed as "dirty work," violate Section 80a of Germany's Criminal Code, which forbids incitement to an aggressive war via propaganda.
- This legal case, along with the accompanying public controversy, underscores the significance of political language sensitivity and the prohibition of Nazi-era vocabulary use in Germany, as demonstrated by the comparison of Merz's phrase to a similar one used by SS-Obersturmführer August Häfner during the Nazi era.
