Overview
- The Amtsgericht Heilbronn issued a Strafbefehl after a Facebook user called Chancellor Friedrich Merz a “Lackaffe,” with the order set at 30 Tagessätze and the prosecutor saying the remark was an honor injury rather than political critique.
- Local police had forwarded 38 comments from a police Facebook post about Merz’s visit in October to the Staatsanwaltschaft for review, prompting multiple separate investigations under Paragraph 188 StGB.
- Prosecutors treated some insults as protected political speech and closed those files, notably dropping a case over a “Pinocchio” comparison on the grounds that it was permissible critique of power.
- An objection (Einspruch) was filed against the Strafbefehl so the order was not immediately final; court reporting later said the matter was resolved in a main hearing with the case dropped after the defendant paid a 100‑euro fine.
- The episode highlights how Paragraph 188 StGB, expanded in 2021 to cover insults of political figures, produces case‑by‑case outcomes and raises questions about police forwarding of social‑media comments and selective enforcement.